Dreams and nightmares
by volcaniclord
Summary: What if Rua didn't woke up after his duel with Divine? What if he was locked in a deep coma? And what if the psychic had awaken a stange power that no one knew about? And what if he wasn't alone? A Rua story.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-gi-oh 5D's etc… Everyone knows the drill by now.

Warning: spoilers inside.

**Dreams and nightmares**

**Prologue**

_Darkness_

_That was the first thing he recognised. He was floating in total darkness, like a boat, lost in the middle of the ocean. What was he doing here? Where was he? Who was he? So many questions and yet, he didn't care at all. He felt nothing. _

_After a while, he started to notice them. Small lights. Like a group of fireflies. Then, the lights grew bigger. They were now as big as balloons. And they were so many. He was surrounded by them. As he drifted in the endless night, a ball of light came near him. It wasn't for curiosity or hope, but he decided to touch it. As soon as his hand was on the ball, the scenery changed. _

_He was now in a temple full of mystic symbols. They were everywhere. Then, he saw an old man across the room. The man was wearing an old yellow Chinese dress and some strange wooden shoes. The man was looking at the signs as if his life depended on them. All of a sudden, the grandpa pushed a hidden button and the wall moved to make place to a tunnel. The old man didn't think a second and ran inside. Out of curiosity, he followed him. At the end, there was a huge crystal skeleton. The old man was extremely happy. He wasn't. He wanted to leave. As soon as the thought crossed him, he was back in the dark world. He decided to touch another ball._

_Once again, the scene changed. Now, he was in an abandoned city. There were ruins everywhere. He noticed something on the ground. It was a labyrinth of purple flames that seemed to consume the darkness to stay alive. They were forming a strange symbol. Like a man. No, a giant. The roaring of an engine caught his attention. Two motorcycles were coming towards him. A strange silver dragon was flying above the red one. The rider of the blue one suddenly put some sort of card and said something about an earthbound god. The image began to move faster. He saw a heart made of rock absorb countless people. He saw a giant-like monster coming out of the ground. He saw the rider of the red bike trying everything to stop the giant, unsuccessfully. He quickly grew bored. He chose to leave the place._

_Back into the eternal night, he decided to let himself drift away since there was nothing he wanted to do. He closed his eyes to shut down the lights. Suddenly, he felt something different. As if something was calling him. He opened his eyes to see what it was, but he only saw the balloons. However, one of the balloons seemed to be different from the others, even though it looked like the others. He was drawn towards it. He suddenly realised that he could move in the darkness like a fish in the water. With the same strange feeling he had before, he flew to the ball and put his hand on it._

_Just like before, the surrendering changed. This time, he was in some kind of office. In it, there were two persons: a woman with red hair and clothes and a girl with green hair and dress. For some reason, he felt something when he saw the girl. Happiness, perhaps. A scream from the girl brought him back to reality. She was watching a kind of duel. By getting closer, he saw a man with brown hair fighting a green haired boy that was almost a copy of the girl. In front of him, there was a dragon-like machine. Somehow, he recognised the boy, but couldn't name him. Then, the strange man summoned some kind of black and yellow fiend. It was big, but nowhere near the giant from before. The creature suddenly vanished and reappeared near the green haired boy. The child was engulfed a second later by a black mist that came from the daemon's mouth. The last he heard was the girl's scream, and then he was back where he started. For the first time, he was confused. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay in that place. But it seemed the ball had vanished. He started to think. Who was she? She was familiar. And for some reasons, he wanted to protect her. He made the resolution to wait for the ball to come back. _

(scene change)

Ruka opened her eyes to a dark room. Her room. Replaying her memory, she realised that she dreamed of this day again. The day he was hurt. Knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she got up and walked to a very familiar room. After entering the chamber, she went directly to a chair beside the bed and sat down. After a while, she couldn't hold it anymore. She started to cry. She was crying hot tears that were describing exactly how she felt. She was feeling lonely. She wanted him back. For so long he was besides her, protecting her. And now because of her, he was like this. Despite what everyone was saying, she was sure it was her fault. While crying, she put her head on his arm, as if she thought that could bring him back.

-Why? Her voice was cracking because of the tears.

-Why don't you come back? We need you. I need you. Please, Wake up Rua. Wake up.

Autor's note

(On my knees) This is my first time and I don't have any experience. Please be gentle with me. (I couldn't resist) Seriously, please review so I can improve myself. But no flames please, I have a sensible skin.


	2. The Specialist

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh 5D's and blah blah blah

Chapter 1: The Specialist

The sun blinded him for a second, but he didn't care. He was lost in his mind. He needed to sort things out. Too much had happened. He needed a break. That's why Yusei decided to take a walk in Neo-Domino city.

Ignoring all of his surrounding, Yusei began to recall all the events that took place in less than a month. It seemed so far away. The tunnels, his first duel with Jack, the facility, even the Fortune Cup, were like distant memories. He couldn't forget them, for he had met so many people, like Aki, Rua, Ruka, Himuro, Yanagi and many more. He remembered the time when he learned that he was a signer, a chosen one, whose mission was to summon the crimson dragon and bring peace to the world. But ever since they arrived, everything changed. The dark signers. Their archenemies. So many things happened since they decided to appear, like his duel to the death with his former friend Kiryu, who became a dark signer, the kidnapping of the twins by the Arcadia Movement and the carnage that took place after that with the appearance of the two earthbound gods and finally, the explanations of Godwin about the link between the crimson dragon, the signers and the dark signers.

Not everything was negative. The Arcadia Movement, who wanted to use the psychic duelists as weapons for war in order to take revenge for their pain, was finally down, Aki forgave her parents and finally started to reveal her emotions and four of the five signers were together.

And yet, all these good news did nothing to reduce the pain and the worries that they all felt. In a attempt to see if Rua had hidden psychic powers, Divine, the leader of the Arcadia Movement dueled him and took him down by launching a direct assault with Thought Ruler Archfiend, his greater monster. The attack was so strong that he lost conscience. Ever since, Rua has been lost in a deep coma and nothing managed to wake him up. Aki said that he should have awakened by now. But he had not. After a few days, they took him to a hospital. The same one that Yusei just left and the one he was in front now.

After giving a final look outside, Yusei went back inside. He didn't need to ask for the room number, for he came to this room so many times. When he entered, he saw that Ruka had fallen asleep on her chair once again. Her eyes were red because of the crying. He felt sorry for her. She was the one that took the news the worst. There was not a day were she did not come to see him. She was so worried about him. Each time he saw that, Yusei could not help but curse fate for everything that happened to these kids. He heard of the story of Ruka and the time she had spent in the spirit world. Now, the roles were changed. Rua was the one imprisoned and Ruka the one who was afraid and that tried to call him back. But this time, it didn't seem to work.

_She was back, one again. He had waited for her. He knew she would appear eventually. She always did. And each time, he would go to her. Today, she was in the country with a group of little monsters. She was younger, but he still recognized her. She seemed to have fun with the small creatures. Then, a large blue dragon with butterfly wings came. It was taking to her. He couldn't help but be jealous of that dragon. He wanted to talk to her, to protect her. He felt as if that creature was taking his place._

_This brought him some interrogations. What was his place? Who was he to this girl? And who was she to him? It was one of those moments when he wanted to know who he was. _

The door brought Yusei out of his mind. Turning around, he saw Aki enter along with a doctor. Yusei recognized him as Doctor Toya, the man who was responsible for Rua's case. Aki spoke first.

-Yusei, this man know someone that might be able to help Rua.

This caught Yusei's attention right away.

-Really?

-Well, I have to admit, what this boy has is beyond my knowledge. I never saw anything like this. Physically speaking, he is in perfect condition. His body and his brain had suffered no damages. Technically, he should be awake by now. But it's like his mind isn't in his body anymore.

-But there is someone who can help?

-I don't know if he can help, but he would know more about me, that's for sure. He is a doctor who specializes in coma cases and strange sleeping behaviors. He might be able to do something.

Yusei and Aki exchanged a glance. They both knew that this might be their only chance to save him.

-Alright, you can call him.

The doctor bowed a little and left the room. Then, Yusei went where Ruka was sleeping and woke her up.

-What is it Yusei? Did Rua wake up?

Yusei knew that breaking this hopeful face would break his heart, but he had to do it. At least, give her some hope.

-No, but there is someone who might be able to do something.

Ruka's face fell, but she still tried to smile. At the same time, the door opened once again. This time, a tall blond man around his 40s came in.

-Good afternoon. My name is Raito Izumani.

Yusei shook the man's hand. He looked like a good person.

-Is this Rua?

Doctor Izumani went to the bed, but half way there, an anxious Ruka went to him.

-Can you help him, sir?

-I will try.

This seemed to make Ruka more cheerful. Doctor Izumani went to Rua and started to give him some sort of check-up. He would also read the notes that doctor Toya had taken. After a while, he spoke to Yusei and Aki.

-I need to run some special test on him, but the installation will take a while. So I'm afraid that the visit will have to be cut short.

That didn't please Ruka, but they didn't have a choice.

The three of them came back the next morning. What they saw left them speechless. Rua had about ten different cables on the head that were linked to three strange looking machines. Doctor Izumani was adjusting one of them when he saw them. He gave them a sign to come in.

-You're just in time. The result of last night analysis should come out any second now.

A few minutes later, the three machines started to make some weird noise. After a while, they stopped. Then, the doctor opened his computer and started to look at the result. The first two didn't seem to interest him much, but when the third came, his face went completely white.

-What wrong?

Doctor Izumani looked at the result one more time before facing them.

-Well, his brain seemed to be fine and by the looks of it, he is dreaming right now. But his brain waves are extremely intense. They are far beyond a normal human being.

-What does it means, asked Ruka. She was worried.

-I don't know. I haven't seen that kind of thing since…

Raito suddenly paused. He was lost in his thoughts.

-Could it be?

He didn't let them ask a question. He took out a cellphone and called someone.

-Honey? It's me. Can you get Kokusho from school? I need him at the hospital. Room 325.

After hanging up, the doctor went back to his computer. It was as if he was the only one in the room. He would look at Rua's brain waves and compare them to another one that seemed similar. After about half an hour later, two persons entered the room. The first one was a beautiful woman with long blond hair. She was obviously a top model, for no one else could have had such a great figure. Beside her was an 18 year old boy. He had a tall figure, a pale skin, a school uniform… and the longest and whitest hair they had ever seen on a guy before. Not even Godwin's hair could compare to that. They were pulled on his back by a long ponytail that reached the end of his back. However, he seemed to have a bored expression, like he didn't care if he was there. Doctor Raito Izumani made the presentation.

-Mr. Yusei, Ms Aki, Ms Ruka, this is my wife Misa and my son Kokusho.

-You need my help, Dad?

-Yes. This kid over here is named Rua and he has been in a coma for about a week now.

-But what can I do. You're the specialist here, right?

He was definitely bored.

-Have a look at his brain waves.

Kokusho went to the computer. And when his eyes fell on the screen, everyone in the room saw his face change. He was surprised.

-Wow. These waves are off the chart. Is it humanly possible? I have never seen anything like those before.

-I did. Your waves.

Kukosho' s eyes were wide open.

-You think he's a…

-I think so. Can you check?

-Sure.

He went to Rua's bed and put his hand on his head. He looked like he was meditating or analyzing. After a while, he spoke again.

-I can't believe it. He's like me.

-WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

Obviously, Ruka was getting impatient. These people knew what was wrong with her twin brother and she wanted to know.

-Mom, Dad, can you explain to them the situation. I need to find him. He won't wake up until I do. He seems lost in his mind and it might take a while. Don't mind if I do?

-Go ahead, said Misa. We can handle things here.

Kokusho made a short sign with his head and went to sit on a chair. A second later, he had fallen asleep. Or at least, it looked that way.

-Alright, said Yusei. Explain.

-Okay. To put it in a simple and direct way, my son and Mr. Rua are dreamwalkers.

The three listeners looked at each other.

-They are what?

_As soon as he opened his eyes, the surrounding became familiar. He couldn't remember how many times he went to this black world. All the spheres around him were taunting him. He really wanted to go in them. But he knew he couldn't. Not now. He had a job to do: Finding Rua in that world of the night. He began to search r the smallest trace of power. A trace he could follow. He was tracking. He was hunting. _

Author's note

Here's the second chapter. It's the first action scene that I'm writing, so it might not be perfect. Please review.

Reviews's notes

Luna Moon Goddess: Alright. You caught me. It's not the first time that I write. But it is my first long story. But still, thanks a lot. It means a lot to me.

DreamsDragon : thank you. I'm doing the best I can.


	3. Dreamwalkers

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's. I'm getting tired of this.

_Rua's thought_

**Kokusho's thought**

Dreamwalkers

_He felt lonely. Yes. That's the only word that could described how he was feeling. Loneliness. She wasn't there. The last time he saw her, she was in a house. She was crying. Beside her was the boy he saw the first time he met her. It was obvious that they were twins. He was also in tears. They were looking at two adults who were leaving. But for some reasons, their face was hidden by a cloud of darkness. The two children were calling them, begging them to stay. But in vain. They left. Then, the little boy went to his sister and tried to comfort her. He was glad he did it. He wanted to do it himself, but he couldn't. He learned that a while ago. He was only a watcher. _

_And it made him feel so sad. More than the fact that he was always in that dark place or that his name was still lost. Being unable to do anything was the worst thing that could happen to him. He knew it. But now, his sadness was gone, replaced by a void. A void that was inside of him as he drifted in darkness._

_**Anger. That's what he felt. Anger at himself, because he couldn't find him. Rua. And he was doing everything he could. His mind was on overdrive. He could feel the mind of everyone in the city. Heck, even in the country. But he couldn't find a single boy. And not just any boy. One that had the same ability as him. When the news came to him, he was happy. For the first time in his life, he found someone that could completely understand the feeling of living in this world of the night. Perhaps that kid could let him teach him how to control his power. To be a teacher. He liked that idea. **_

_**But in order for that to happen, he had to free Rua from his own mind. And he couldn't do it. It was so frustrating. He wanted to scream so badly.**_

_**No. He had to remain calm. Otherwise he would doom that kid to an eternal sleep. And he didn't want that to happen. Not to a boy that had his whole life before him. He had to keep looking, no matter what.**_

-What's a dreamwalker?

The three of them had never heard that term before. It was completely new to them.

-It's better that we explain from the very beginning. Why don't we make ourselves more comfortable? I need to do a few tests before. After that, we will explain everything

It took more than two hours to finish the rest of the tests. The atmosphere was electric. Ruka, Yusei and Aki knew that he had to finish, but they couldn't help but feel impatient. When the results finally came out, Raito and Misa took a chair and sat in front them.

-Alright. I will try to make it as simple as possible. A dreamwalker is someone who has the strange ability to enter the dreams of other people.

Yusei's eyes were wide open. He didn't need to look at the others to see that they had the same face as him. Aki managed to recover the first.

-How is that possible?

-It's kind of complicated. I should start from the beginning. Eight years ago, our son Kokusho started to have strange dreams. They were different than normal ones because it was as if they weren't his own. He also dreamed of a dark place with countless light balls that appeared and disappeared. I checked in every science books, I consulted many of my fellow doctors and scientists, but I didn't find anything that could explain this phenomenon.

It was my wife who found the answer. Not in a scientific paper, but in an old book about legends of an ancient people that lived in a country far from here. She loves ancient artifacts. One of the legends was about some mysterious shamans who had the power to vanquish nightmares by fighting them inside someone's head. They were called Dreamwalkers. We looked for more of those kinds of myths and we found more of them. Some were called Vultures of the Night, others Living Spirits, but they all had the same thing in common: it was about someone that could penetrate other people's dreams. With that in mind, we did some experiences and we came up with an interesting theory.

The key is the unnatural brain waves that my son had. Before we continue, you must know that the brain waves are one of the things that are unique to each individual, just like fingerprints. But a dreamwalker's waves are so big and so chaotic that he can duplicate somebody else's brain wave and synchronize it with his own . Once it's done, the dreamwalker can see what the mind of that person creates. In other words, his dreams. This seems to be limited to dreams because when someone's awake, the huge amount of information that the brain receives is too great. But when the brain is resting, it's possible.

-But how can he enter someone else's mind if they are so far away?

-It seemed that a dreamwalker enter some kind of trance when he tried to synchronize his mind. Kokusho is in it right now. In that trance, he emits some kind of shockwave that can cover an entire country and that can read the brain waves of everyone it reaches. If someone is asleep, the information is send back, in the shape of a ball of light. Think of it has the echolocation of a bat. It's those same waves that transmit the information back and forth once the two waves are tuned together.

-Wait a second. Back AND forth?

-Yes. It's not limited to mere watching. With enough training, a dreamwalker can actually modify another dream as he pleases. He can turn it into a nightmare if he wants. But no need to worry. It has no effect on the body, except it gives you a bad night.

-One more thing. They are thousands of people that sleep in a country. How can he find a specific type of wave?

-By reading them while I'm awake.

Everyone turned to where the voice was coming from. Kokusho was slowly shaking his head.

-If I'm close enough to someone, I can analyze his brain waves and stock them in my memory. When I'm in my trance, if I think about that person while she is sleeping, my brain automatically connects itself to these waves and finds them in a fraction of a second, if they are within reach that is.

Everyone went to him. Ruka was the first one.

-Did you find him? Will he wake up? Please. I beg you. Tell me.

Kokusho looked at her with a sad look.

-I'm sorry. I didn't find him.

Ruka fell on the ground and began to cry. Instinctively, Aki took her in her arms and began to whisper in her ear. if it wasn't for the difference of age, she could have been mistaken as her mother. But no one had the heart to think about that.

-How is it possible, asked Misa. I thought you could read anybody's brain waves.

- Only went they are awake or sleeping. However, now that he has entered his trance, his waves are too chaotic for me. I can't do it.

Depression spread across the room. Rua's mind was lost forever and there was nothing they could do. They were all feeling powerless. Except for…

-Wait a second.

Misa.

-If you can't find him, why don't you wait for him?

-Wait?

-If you can get inside a dream where he is, can you bring back?

They all looked at her, then at Kokusho.

-It might be possible, if he is using his power.

He went to the computer and looked at the information that came out earlier.

-Look likes he did. His brainwaves changed around ten to seven. It means that his mind was synchronized. If we can find which mind he entered, perhaps he will come back.

-But how can we find that person?

-That's the problem. If he has used is power before his accident, it would be easier.

-Why?

-Since he doesn't know how to memorize another kind of wave, he will be drawn to the one he is the most familiar with. It was the same for me. At first, I used to go inside my parents' dreams.

Ruka, who was quiet during the entire discussion, rose up suddenly.

-I think he did. When I was in the spirit world, it was his voice that brought me back. And during my duel with Professor Frank, he appeared to me.

-Yes, said Yusei. Himuro told me that during your duel, he fainted and after that, he couldn't remember a thing.

Kokusho smiled at this.

-The bond between a brother and a sister is strong. It's very possible. We should try it. Let's wait until she's tired. In the meantime, we should make sure that he doesn't enter another dream. One more thing. Ruka, could you tell me more about your brother. He might need to be reminded of who he is.

And that's how the day was spent. Ruka would tell Kokusho about Rua while the others looked at the computer. At the end of the day, everyone was tired, but excited as well. Ruka went to a bed that they placed in the room for her. After a few minutes, she fell asleep. It didn't take long before they could see the first results. -Look, said Yusei. The waves are changing.

-That's my cue. I hope that your plan will work, mom.

-Go in there and bring him back.

-Yes ma'am.

A second later, he was unconscious.

_Finally. She was here. He didn't wait a second. He rushed to the light ball and put his hand on it. He was surprised. He never went there before. He was in a park. She was playing in the sand square with her brother. They were about six years old. All of a sudden, a big dog rushed at them and started to bark. She was so scared. But her brother rose from the ground and put himself in front of her. He was like a wall. After a while, the dog left. He liked the way this boy was protecting his sister._

_**Rua?**_

_A voice broke him out of his thought. Turning around, he saw a white haired guy who was standing a few meters away from him_

_-Who are you? And how did you call me?_

_-__**My name is Kokusho**__**Izumani. And I called you by your name. **_

_Rua. That name was familiar to him. _

_-How do you know it's my name?_

_-__**Your friends and your sister told me.**_

_-My sister?_

_**-Yes. Ruka.**_

_Ruka. Another name that he knew before. It also gave him a strange feeling. The same way he felt each time he saw that girl. Then, that means that he was her bother. But that wasn't possible. He was older. Unless…_

_-Where are we?_

_**-We are inside a dream. Your sister's dream. Do you come here often?**_

_-Yes. I wanted to see her. To see if she was alright._

_The man came beside him and looked at the scene._

_**-She is very important to you. You want to protect her.**_

_-Yes. But I can't do anything._

_**-You can. **_

_-He was surprised. He thought he could only be watching the scene. _

_-How?_

_**-By coming with me. This is not real. It's an image created by your sister while she is asleep. But you can change that dream. You can protect her from all the nightmares that will come to her. You can give her the most beautiful dreams ever. You can help her.**_

_-Really?_

_**-Yes, but it will take a lot of training. Moreover, she is waiting for you. Everyone is.**_

_-But how can they be waiting for me? I don't even know how I came here._

_**-You are dreaming as well. This is your power. Our power. We are the guardian of dreams. **_

_He looked one more time at the two children before turning once again toward the stranger. _

_-If I wake up, can I protect her like this?_

_-__**You already did. This is a dream, but it doesn't mean that it's an illusion. This is your past. You protected your sister all your life and I'm sure that if you wake up, you will continue to do so. **_

_He thought about it for a second. Ever since he heard his and his sister's name, some memories had started to come back._

_-Help me please. I want to remember. I want to protect Ruka once again. _

_Kokusho smiled when he heard that. He succeeded. ___

_**-It's easy . Try to remember f, who you are. Think about your memories, your past. But don't rush them. Let them flow inside of you like a small river. Quietly, but surely.**_

_He did as he was told. Slowly, he began to remember his past. His name, his sister and his vow to protect her from the dark signers. More faces came to him. His heroes, Yusei and Jack. All the people that help them in their quest for peace. When he opened his eyes, he knew that he was himself once again._

_-I did it. I remember everything._

_**-Excellent. Now, imagine that your memories are a ball that you want to reach and try to reach for it. Let your spirit go towards it. Try to catch it**_

_Rua was about to do it when a sudden thought entered his mind. _

_-Why are you helping?_

_**-Because your sister and your friends asked me to. But also because I'm happy to meet you. It's the first time**__**that I meet someone that can do the same thing as me.**_

_-Will I see you again? Will you really teach me how to use this power?_

_**-Trust me. I'm going to put so much stuff into your head that you're going to regret the day you met me.**_

_This comment made Rua laugh. It felt so good to be able to laugh again. After that, he did as he was told. After a while, he started to feel lighter, like he was flying. He kept going until he couldn't feel his body at all. All of a sudden, all the light spheres disappeared and once again, he felt his body. But this time, he felt different. More solid. More real._

_**-He's a good kid, thought Kokusho as Rua slowly started to disappear. He could tell that just by looking at him. He had a pure soul and a positive attitude. He had the feeling that they would get along just fine. With that last thought in mind, he vanished as well.**_

-Ruka. Wake up Ruka.

Slowly, the little girl opened her eyes. In front of her were the faces of Yusei and Aki.

-What's going on, she asked, still half asleep.

-Someone wants to say hello.

-Someone wants to…

Her sentence war cut short. In front of her, in a hospital bed, was her brother Rua. A brother who was sitting on the bed, whose eyes were wide open, whose smile was all over his face.

A brother who was awake.

Tears filled her eyes has reality finally came to her.

-RUA

Without any hesitation, she jumped on his bed and took him in her arms. She was crying once again. But this time, they were tears of joy. When Rua put his arms around her as well, he knew that it wasn't an illusion. They were once again reunited.

The group of people couldn't help but smile at this display of kindness and love. Some knew that things might not stay like that. That a battle awaited them against in a near future that would decided the faith of this world. That Rua's powers might put him in danger someday. Put for now they put their worries aside. This was a time of happiness. Plus, when they looked at them, the only thought they could have is that there's always a solution at every problem and that everything will be alright. __

Author's notes

Here it is. The new chapter. Sorry for the delay.

I hope my explanations of the dreamwalker's special power weren't too hard to understand.

Coming next: Kokusho's past and a duel.

I wanted to thanks everyone that had reviewed my story.

Lunar Moon Goddess,

DreamsDragon,

Blue Hurricane

TDG3RD

Your comments were deeply appreciated. The true reward of a writer is the appreciation of the people that read him.

Thank you.

p.s. By the way Goddess, you were right. I took the name of three of my OC from different anime. But don't worry. Only Kokusho is important. Five points to the first one that can tell me from which anime did I took them.


	4. The Emperor of Nightmares

-Volcaniclord: Do I have to?

-Kokusho: yes

-Alright. I don't own Yu-gi-oh 5D's. Here. Happy?

The Emperor of Nightmares

Things quickly came back the way they were. Since Rua's physical condition was perfect, beside the fact that he had spend the last five days in a coma, he was able to leave the hospital on the same day. The whole group went back to Godwin's mansion, were they had been staying for the last few days. Rua seemed happy to be there. He was glad to be with his sister and his heroes again. Although the huge amount of food that the mansion provided could also have been a good factor.

If Rua was happy, Godwin was certainly not. It appeared that he didn't want somebody who wasn't a signer to be aware of their situation. In fact, if Ruka hadn't threatened him to leave if her twin brother wasn't here, he probably would have kicked him out already. Who knew that little girl could be so evil sometime. But there was another person whose presence bothered Godwin.

True to his words, Kokusho went with the group to the mansion and became what the twins would call the newest member of their big family. Let just say Godwin wasn't pleased when he saw a guy wearing black pants, a black shirt with a huge green snake on the back and some strange necklace with a green stone shape like a lizard. In fact, Godwin had forbidden him to come the first day. However, he was welcomed the day after. No one knew what happened but Godwin seemed to have some very big rings under his eyes and Kokusho had a strange smile for quite a while.

Rua's training began the same day.

-MEDITATION?

-That's right.

When Ruka heard Rua's scream, she couldn't but feel sorry for Kokusho. Her brother wasn't the most patient person in the world.

-How's that going to help? I want to learn how to enter the world of dreams, not some yoga moves.

-Because it's necessary.

-I don't see how. All I need to do is think about that weird place and I would be there, right?

-Perhaps. You can try.

Frowning, Rua sat on the floor and closed his eyes. At first, nothing happened. But after a moment, Rua started to frown more and more until he couldn't control himself and let out a loud scream.

-WHY DOESN'T IT WORK?

-Because you're not approaching this the right way. You think the crossroad of dreams, as I like to call it, is a different world, don't you?

That mere sentence shut down Rua in an instant. For once, he was really listening.

-The world that a Dreamwalker see when he enters his trance is a projection of the mind, not a different universe. You're trying too hard. All you need to do is connect the conscious part of your brain to the part that controls your powers. Think of it as changing a TV channel. They are there, but you have to do something to see it.

-But why do I have to meditate?

-Because the part I'm talking about is hard to feel. If your attention is distracted by everything around you, you will never find it. That's why you need to relax and clear your mind. But don't worry, after a while, you will be able to feel it instantly.

When Yusei came into the room where they were training, he was surprised to see Rua actually doing some yoga movements. In the end, it turned out that Kokusho was quite a good teacher. He would explain in a very simple manner and even if Rua had a hard time with the meditation and the Tai Chi exercises, he would never get angry. It was as if that emotion was unknown to him. And the methods he used to train Rua seemed to be effective, even if three hours in the lotus position on the roof, shirtless, was a bit extreme for Ruka and the others. But even then, they got used to this quite easily.

But there is one thing that Yusei and his friends never got used to: Kokusho's attitude with them. It wasn't that he was mean or anything like that. In fact, he didn't care about almost anything at all. When he wasn't teaching Rua, he could be found in his room in some unknown dreams or reading a book about psychology. He had a lot of books about psychology, especially those about the theory of the subconscious. He also barely talks, even during the meals. He would only stare at everyone without blinking, like he was reading them. Even if it was a bit disturbing, Yusei, Jack, Aki and Ruka, being quiet persons themselves, learned to live with this kind of behavior. But for the incarnation of energy, also known as Rua, it wasn't acceptable. Three days after Kokusho's arrival, he decided to confront him about it. He found him at his usual spot, reading a book about a certain Sigmund Freud.

-Hey, Kokusho

-Yes?

-Why are you antisocial?

-Come again?

-You barely talk to anyone beside me, you never go out and you never watch television. The only thing you do is teach me and read. Why?

Kokusho looked at him and after a moment, decided to close his book.

-It's kind of complicated.

-Then talk.

Kokusho realized quickly that Rua would never let go.

-Alright. I'm going to tell you. It's not that I don't like your friends or anything like that. It's just that I'm not interested in them.

-What? They are very interesting.

-Not in a psychological way.

That took Rua by surprise. He expected a lot of things, but not this. Kokusho saw that he was lost and pushed his explanation further.

-Ever since I was a child, I knew that I was two things: I was quiet and I had a good sense of observation. I could spend an hour looking at some kind of drawing and find all sorts of things. However, ever since I awakened my powers, I started to become interested in how the human mind works. You see, at first, I would go inside the dreams of my family and my friends. I could see how the dreams would evolve and what they were about. Then, during the day, I would look at them and see how they behave themselves. I quickly realized there was a link between their dreams and their mind. Their dreams reflected their fear, their hopes and their desires. In other words, the things people usually want to hide. By combining this with their behavior during the day, you can pretty much see how that person thinks. A man said the same thing many years ago. His name was Sigmund Freud. I started to read more of his theories and before I knew it, I was studying all sort of studies about the human mind. But the more knowledge I would gain, the less I would become interest in humans in general, only in their mind. Make no mistake, I love my parents very much, but beside them, anybody else I see is nothing more than a subject to analyze.

Rua took a moment to process all this.

-You mean that we are only experiences to you.

-Not you, Rua. You are much more to me. But to be honest, yes. Your sister and your friends were only potential case to study.

-Were?

-I already finished my analyzes. It was quite easy. Yusei is a case of contradiction. His strength comes from his friends and yet, deep down, he doesn't want them to associate too much with him because he's afraid for their safety. Jack is a walking puzzle. He had spend so much time trying to build himself a dream, only to realize that it wasn't what he was looking for. He now tries to pick up the pieces of himself in order to find what he truly wants. Aki is a young chick. She had lived for quite a while in her nest, but it is destroyed now. She wants to become free, but she is afraid of being hurt by falling from the nest. In time, she will be able to fly and be who she wants to be. And finally, Ruka is a young wolf. She was protected all her life and she almost didn't have anything to fear. But it's time for her to hunt. She is scared, but she is starting to realize that wolfs hunt in group and that she has always someone to count on. You.

Rua didn't know what to say. This guy had been with them for three days and he could almost describe their lives on the spot. It was impressive, even frightening.

-See my problem?

-And you never tried to correct it?

-It did try, but I failed. I just don't have the will.

-Well I do.

Kokusho looked at Rua in a funny way.

-What?

-You heard me. In exchange for the training, I'm gonna teach you on how to have fun again.

And so, a new routine came to the house. When Rua wasn't practicing his abilities, he would try to improve Kokusho's social skills. Although Kokusho was willing to try, he wasn't ready for what Rua had in store for him, for the two boys didn't have the same definition of being social and having fun. For the little kid, it meant to play a game wherever one could during many hours. He would also force Kokusho to be present at every meal and talk about a subject that had nothing to do with psychology. The rest of the group found it both amusing and embarrassing. Ruka was especially ashamed of her brother, particularly when he asked Kokusho to describe the girl of his dream right during supper. But against all odds, Kokusho found it actually funny. Sure the games were a little too childish, but he was touched by Rua's efforts. And for once, even if he knew that it would take a lot of time, he felt like Rua could help him.

It was this situation that brought them in the center of Neo-Domino City. They had left the house rather quickly that day to be able to train for a long time. It could also have been because they didn't want to face the wrath of Izayori Aki. Rua had thought it would have been a good idea to match Yusei and Aki together so they could be happier. Kokusho did say that it wasn't a good idea to write false love letter, but he had to agree that it was fun writing those poems. They weren't laughing so much after Aki found out, but the picture of Yusei and her blushing furiously was worth it. And so, after a few death threats, courtesy of the former witch, the two buffoons managed to escape the house. Kokusho took the opportunity to help Rua with his capacity of scanning the brain waves of random people by asking him to choose someone, analyzing the waves and describing what the impression they would leave was. After a few hours of practice, Kokusho decided that they should take a break, since Rua proved himself to be surprisingly good at it. Taking the opportunity, the young boy decided to take his teacher to the palace of childhood and fun, also known as the Arcade.

-It was AWESOME.

-Don't you think you're exaggerating a little bit, Rua?

-Come on. I bet you had a lot of fun with those zombies.

- I was dead before I could finish the first level.

-What about the racing game? You were good.

-I don't think that getting off the track five times could be classified as good.

-And the dancing game?

Kokusho smiled a bit at the memory

-Alright. I admit it. That DDR game was fun.

-AH. I knew it. You can have fun.

Kokusho couldn't help but laugh at the little boy who decided to jump on his feet while singing a happy song.

-Hey. If it isn't Koku boy?

Kokusho's smile vanished in an instant. He couldn't help but hit his forehead.

-I really didn't need that. What do you want, Daniel?

Rua turned around to where the voice came from. He saw a tall guy that had big muscles and a mocking smile. He was with a group of people that seemed to gravitate around him.

-I'm just wondering why you are in an arcade. Since you didn't show up at school, we thought that you finally decided to spend the rest of your life in that tomb you call a room.

The group laughed at the comment.

-I'm more surprised that you realize that someone that doesn't kiss your shoes isn't around you. You shouldn't push your brain too hard, you might faint.

That comment shut the mouth of everyone. Now, they were glaring at him. It was obvious that the two guys hated each other.

-Kokusho, who's that guy, asked Rua.

-Daniel Spinar. A guy at my school. The missing link between Man and Gorilla. He lost the hair, but hasn't gained the brain yet.

-You think you're funny, don't you? Well I've got news for you. Nobody here thinks you are.

-I couldn't care less if people don't laugh at my jokes. I'm not the one who needs a pack of mindless zombies just to feel more important.

-And that kid?

-He's my friend. And unlike you, I don't ask him to worship me as a god.

-You want a piece of me?

-Leave the pornographic propositions for another day. They are children here.

That comment brought a echo of whistle from the crowd that was watching the fight. It was quite a sight. One guy against an army.

-Now, if you can excuse me, we need to go home.

-That's right. Run away like the princess you are.

All of a sudden, Kokusho stopped.

-What did you call me?

For the first time, Rua felt that he was angry.

-Princess, of course. I think it's a nickname that fits a girl like you.

And that's where all hell broke loose. Kokusho went right to him and grabbed him by the collar. It was quite something to see him angry for the first time.

-GIRL? That's it. You want a fight? I'll take you on. You and me. Outside. Duel Monster.

-You're on.

Two minutes later, the stage was ready. The two duelists were at the center of the crowd. While Daniel was preparing is duel disk, Rua was talking to Kokusho.

-Are you sure you'll be alright?

-Don't worry. Duel Monster is one of the few things that I'm interested in.

-You want to use my disk?

-No need to. I brought mine.

Kokusho took out his duel disk and Rua's mouth fell on the floor. It was all black and dark green and had a dragon head with red eyes were the deck was supposed to be.

-Custom made. I burned two months of summer jobs on it, but it was worth it.

He then faced Daniel.

-Alright, Dan. Show me what you got.

-I'm going to kick your butt.

-We'll see.

Both: duel

D: 4000 K: 4000

-I draw, said Daniel

He looked at his cards and started to smile.

-I summon Gene-Warped Warwolf in attack mode. (Atk:2000)

A huge beast with four arms appeared on the field. Everyone was impressed by the creature.

-Since I know you can't beat that beast, I end my turn.

-If I were you, I would be more careful. No matter how powerful a monster is, there is always something that can beat it. I draw.

Kokusho looked at his cards for a second before making his move.

-I summon Nightmare Knight, in attack mode. (Atk:1800)

A strange black knight rose from the ground. He had a black shield and a glowing sword.

-I activate the special effect of my knight. When he is normal summoned, I can reveal a nightmare monster from my hand and add a nightmare counter on him.

Kokusho took a card from his hand and showed it to Daniel. It was a black mask without a mouth named Nightmare Mask.

-What's the point, princess?

-The point is that when my monster has a nightmare counter, he gains 300 atk points.

-Say what?

A blue stone at the middle of the shield suddenly started to glow. (Atk: 2100)

-Attack. Nightmare blade.

The knight ran to the warwolf and sliced it in half.

-You're gonna pay for that

D:3900 K:4000

-My draw. I summon my Spear Dragon, in attack mode.(Atk:1900)

A blue and white dragon with a nose as a spear rose from the ground.

-Then, I play the spell card reckless charge, which gives my dragon 700 more attack points until the end of this turn.(Atk: 1900-2600) Like you said, there's always something stronger. And my deck is full of them. Destroy his knight. Spear typhoon.

The dragon let out a roar before spitting a small twister.

-Don't compare me to you. At least I know how to trick someone.

-How? You have no trap card.

-Oh Really? I use the power of my Nightmare Mask. By sending it to the graveyard, I can reduce the battle damage you monster dealt to zero.

The mask that was shown before suddenly appeared in front of the knight and took the attack, shielding his comrade.

-And since your monster attacked, it's now switched to defense mode (def:0).

The dragon fell on his knees and put his wings in front of him. That didn't please Daniel.

-I end my turn.(Atk: 2600-1900)

D:3900 K:4000

-You need to stop thinking with your muscles and more with your brain. I draw. I play the spell card Nightmare Regeneration. This allows you to draw a card and me, to return a nightmare monster from my graveyard to my hand.

Frowning, Daniel drew is card while Kokusho took his Nightmare Mask back.

-Nightmare Knight, attack.

Once again, the knight raised his sword and took down the other monster.

-Before ending my turn, I summon my Nightmare Mask in defense mode(def: 0) and I place a card face-down.

The now familiar mask took his place beside the knight. Behind them, a set card appeared.

-Now, let see what you can do against these guys.

-Shut up.

D:3900 K:4000

-I draw.

After looking at his card, Daniel began to laugh.

-Finally. You said I couldn't use my brain? Well think again. I special summon my Grinder Golem, in defense mode.(def:300)

A huge metallic creature with a saw on his head rose from the ground and put his arms in guarding position. On Kokusho's side.

-I can special summon this monster on my opponent's side of the field. If I do, I gain two Grinder tokens on my side of the field, in attack mode.(atk:0)

As soon as he said that, two smaller version of the golem suddenly appeared.

-And even if I can't normal summon this turn; it doesn't matter since I play Owner's Seal, which returns every monster on the field to their original owners.

Taking a huge step, the golem went back to Daniel's side.

-And now for the grand finale, I now remember the abilities of your knight. I know that the nightmare counter makes him more powerful, but also weaker, since he's destroyed if he is switched to defense mode. So I play the magic card Curse of Fiend. This changes the battle position of every monster on the field. So say goodbye to that piece of metal.

-Not yet. I activate the trap card, Nightmare link. Once per turn, this continuous trap card lets me transfer a nightmare counter from one monster to another, even during your turn.

The stone on the shield of the knight stopped glowing while strange runes appeared on the mask.

-Now the effect of your card takes place.

The knight fell on it knees and put his shield in front of him (def:1000) while the mask did nothing (Atk:0). On Daniel's side, the two tokens formed a ball (def:0) while the golem opened wide his arms, ready to attack (atk:3000).

-Saving your knight was useless. You're gonna lose. I equip my golem with the equip spell card Strength of the Guardians. This gives my golem 500 atk points for every monster in defense mode when he attacks or is attacked. And I count three(Atk:3000-4500). It's over. Grinder Golem, attack his mask. Torture claw.

The metal golem lifted his right hand and attacked the black mask.

-NO, screamed Rua, panicked.

-I activate the special effect of my Nightmare Mask. If there is a nightmare counter on it, once per turn I can reduce the battle damage dealt by an opposing creature to zero.

The mask started to glow and formed a barrier that intercepted the attack.

-I play a card face down and end my turn.

Daniel wasn't worried. He still had the strongest monster on the field. Plus, he had two defensive monsters, a Negate Attack trap card face down and a monster in his hand. He was sure he would win.

D:3900 K:4000

-I draw. That was quite a combo. You used the power of your cards with a lot of skills and you used the weaknesses of my monsters. I take back what I said. You can be smart when you want it.

Daniel smiled at the compliment. Around him, his friends smiled at each other. They were sure that Kokusho was admitting his defeat.

-And since you used a powerful combo, I'm going to fight with everything I've got this turn. First, I switch my Nightmare Knight back into attack mode and activate the effect of Nightmare Link to transfer the nightmare counter back to my knight (atk:1800-2100). Next, I summon Nightmare Ninja, in attack mode (atk:1600).

A ninja wearing a black suit jumped from the ground and did a front flip before landing.

-I activate his special effect. When I normal summon him, I can reveal a magic or trap card with nightmare in its name to put a nightmare counter on this card.

Kokusgo revealed a spell card called Nightmare Journal. The ninja's eyes turned blue.

-Now that he has a nightmare counter, I can trigger his effect. One per turn, I can negate the activation of a face down card until the end of this turn.

-What?

The ninja made some hand signs and threw a ball of black energy to the face down card, turning it black.

-Next, I activate the spell card Nightmare Journal. By discarding a nightmare monster to the graveyard, I can draw one card for every Nightmare monster on the field.

Kokusho sent another nightmare ninja to the graveyard and drew three cards.

-Perfect. I tribute my Nightmare Mask to special summon my own artificial creature. My Nightmare Golem, in attack mode.

The mask turned into a multicolored ball, from which emerged a huge golem made of black rock with red eyes (atk:2000).

-This monster can be special summoned by tributing a nightmare monster. If it's summoned this way, I can place a nightmare counter on this card. By the way, it gains 300 atk points for every nightmare counter on the field.

The eyes of the golems became as red as blood (atk:2000-2900).

-And now, like you said, here comes the grand finale. I play the continuous spell, Cursed Nightmare. As long as this card is on the field, once per turn, if a nightmare monster is sent to the graveyard, I can decrease the attack points of all your monsters by 300 points until the end of this turn. Now I play my final spell card, Nightmare Scythe. By sending a nightmare monster from my deck to the card graveyard, like this Nightmare Mask, all my Nightmare monsters inflict piercing damage this turn.

-Piercing damages?

-Exactly. And I hope you haven't forgotten my Cursed Nightmare card.

The three nightmare monsters were engulfed by a black light. At the same time, a black mist came out from Cursed Nightmare and went inside the golem (atk: 3000-2700) and the tokens.

-Nightmare Knight, attack his first token. Nightmare blade.

The knight ran to the token on the right and cut it in haft.

D: 1800 K: 4000

-Your turn, Nightmare Ninja. Take down the second one. Nightmare shuriken.

The ninja lifted his right hand and a huge shuriken appeared out of thin air. After making spin for a while, he threw it at the token, destroying it.

D: 200 K: 4000

-Now that there is no defensive monster, your equipment is useless. Let's have a little fist fight, shall we? Nightmare Golem, show him who's boss. Nightmare rockslide.

The black golem ran at his metal counterpart. Unwilling to go down, the metal golem charged as well. The two colossus fought for a while until the black golem hit his opponent in his chest, tearing it apart and sending the pieces towards Daniel.

D: 0 K: 4000

Daniel fell on his butt while his friends went to him. Kokusho was smiling a little.

-I guess I'm going to see you at school, Dan. Have fun.

On that note, Kokusho left the place, followed by Rua.

-THAT WAS SO COOL. You beat him without losing a single life point.

-It wasn't hard. He was very easy to predict. That combo at the best was the most complex move I ever saw him used.

-But how come you're so good? I thought that you weren't interested in anything.

-Three reason. First, I'm good because sometimes, I go inside the dreams of some of the best champions of Duel Monster to duel with them. So I've got quite a bit of experience. Second, this game interests me because I can study someone while he duels to improve my knowledge of that person and I can practice my capacities to predict a move by knowing that person's personality.

-And the third one?

-I love these nightmare monsters. They fit so well with my powers.

-And what about the girl thing?

-The one insult I can't stand. It's because of my hair. The color is a genetic thing. And since I spend so much time in the dreams of others, I never really thought of cutting them. So I decided to keep them long. Beside, you have some strange hair too.

-Hey. Don't insult the hair. Otherwise, I'll have to duel you and take you down.

-Oh really? I have my doubts.

-I'm sure I can beat you anytime, princess.

-Alright, you little weasel. This is war.

Kokusho caught Rua in a headlock and started to rob his hair vigorously, while doing an evil smile. Rua was both begging and laughing. Everyone that saw them thought that they were seeing two brothers teasing each other. They didn't know that soon, they will face one of the greatest challenges they have ever faced. That their life was going to be put in the balance. For now, they were just two friends having a lot of fun.

Author's note

(Bow down) This one is so sorry. He knows that he took a lot of time to update. So sorry.

This one hopes that you like this chapter and how Kokusho's personality came out. This one didn't to create a character with a deep or painful past. Just someone who had some problems.

This one also decided to put a list of the cards that are homemade so the readers won't get confused.

And finally, this one wanted to thanks everyone that put a review on his story. It warms this one's heart very much. And this one hopes that he will continue to be worthy of your comments.

Kokusho: Volcaniclord.

VL: Yes?

K: we know you are very sorry, but stop taking like that.

VL: this one has no ideas what you are talking about.

K :( a couple of wrestling techniques later) Well, I should finish this. Again, thank you very much for reading this chapter. We don't know when we will be able to update since my idiotic creator has a lot of exams. He also offer five points to anyone that had guessed my deck type and five more to the first one that can guess from which character he took that way of speaking. Have a good day, everyone.

VL: what happened to this one?

K: Shut it.

**Card list**

**Nightmare Knight**

Attr : dark type : warrior level:4 Atk: 1800 def:1000

When this monster is normal summoned, you can reveal a nightmare monster from your hand and put a nightmare counter on this card. If this card has a nightmare counter, it gains 300 attack points. If this card has a nightmare counter, if it switches to defence position, destroy this card.

**Nightmare ninja**

Attr: dark type: warrior level: 4 Atk: 1600 def: 900

When you normal summon this monster, you can reveal a spell or trap card that has nightmare in it names from your hand to add a nightmare counter on this card. If this card has a nightmare counter, once per turn, you can select a set magic or trap card. Your opponent can't activate it until the end of the turn.

**Nightmare mask**

Attr: dark type: fiend level: 3 Atk: 0 def:0

If this monster is normal summoned and you have no other monster, place a nightmare counter on this card. If this card has a nightmare counter, once per turn, if an opposing monster attack, you can reduce the battle damage this monster dealt to zero. When a nightmare monster is targeted by an attack, you can discard this card from your hand to reduce the battle damage to zero.

**Nightmare golem**

Attr: dark type : rock level: 6 atk: 2000 def: 1300

You can special summon this card from your hand by tributing a nightmare monster. If you special summon this card this way, place a nightmare counter on it. This card gains 300 atk points for each nightmare counter on the field.

**Cursed Nightmare**

Continuous spell

Once per turn, if a nightmare monster is send to the graveyard, reduce the attack points of your opponent's monsters by 300 points,

**Nightmare scythe**

Spell

Send a nightmare monster from your deck to the graveyard. Until the end of this turn, all nightmare monsters inflict piercing damage.

**Nightmare journal**

Spell

Discard a nightmare monster. Draw one card for each nightmare monster on the field with a nightmare counter on it.

**Nightmare Regeneration**

Spell

Your opponent draws a card. Return a nightmare monster from your graveyard to your hand.

**Nightmare link**

Continuous trap

Once per turn, you can move a nightmare counter from a monster you control to another nightmare monster. You can use this effect during your opponent's turn.

**Strength of the Guardians**

Equip spell

During battle, the equipped monster gains 500 atk points for every monster on defense position. When this card is destroyed, switch all monsters in attack mode to defense mode.


	5. the will to fight

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh 5D's and blah blah blah..

The Will to Fight

As the sun was slowly falling on the horizon, the helicopter roared in the night, leaving the modern city of Neo-Domino for the now shrouded Satellite Island. Aboard this helicopter was a group of individuals whose destiny was to stop the chaos that was taking place at the old city. Inside the vehicle, Rua looked at the endless sea below them. Getting bored by the view, he sighed and went back to his seat, with his arms folded. Beside him, his twin sister Ruka seemed to be doing some deep thought, since she hasn't said anything since they said goodbye to Yanagi, Himuro and Tenpei. The only thing she would do was sit on her seat with a face that indicated how worried she was. Sometimes, she would take out her deck and looked at her cards. It was obvious to everyone that she was scared. In fact, it was her fear that motivated him to go to Satellite. At first, he doubted that he would be useful, since he wasn't a signer and his Dreamwalker's power was not perfect yet. But she came to him, crying, and asked him to come. She said that she couldn't do it without him and that he was her strength. That convinced him since there was no way he would let her down. But now she was just quiet. In fact, he realized that everyone was quiet. No words had been spoken by anybody for the entire trip. However, it was obvious that Yusei, Jack and Aki were thinking about the incoming fight. He didn't need to be a genius to see that the new king was thinking about his friends left on Satellite, since he had a pained expression on his face. And, if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, Jack's frown was more pronounced than usual, signs that he might be thinking about someone. And even if Aki's expression remained neutral, her crisped hands revealed her fear. Shaking his head, Rua turned his attention towards the two adults of the group. Now, if the signers were busy thinking about their mission, these two were more interested in the romance department. Mikage would keep looking at Jack with worries, while Ushio kept stealing glance at her while he was piloting.

For some reason, all this analyzing made him chuckle. He was starting to think like his teacher. This made him look at the other side of the helicopter, where Kokusho was seated. He had his arms crossed and his eyes closed, in a thinking position. Seeing him like this brought a frown on the green haired boy. While he could only make theories about the thought of the others, he knew exactly what Kokusho was thinking about. And he didn't like it.

(Flashback)

The news were rather shocking for everyone. The images of Satellite covered by some sort of black mist scared him to the bones. That could only mean one thing: The dark signers had finally made their move. Godwin decided to go face them as soon as possible. So everyone was getting ready for the showdown. Rua went to get his duel disk. Although he knew that it was the signers' task to face their nemesis, he still wanted to help Ruka in any possible way. Finding his gadget in the living room, where he was dueling with Kokusho before they were called, Rua was on his way to see his sister when he realized that his teacher had left his machine in the room as well. He decided to take it to him. And so, while cursing the fact that he was caring two duel disks, which were heavy, Rua went to the most likely place he could find him: His room. And he was there, at the window, looking at the horizon and thinking.

-Yo, Ko, yelled Rua.

-Yes, answered Kokusho with a bored voice, without even turning around.

-Here, said Rua while throwing the black duel disk on the bed. It would have been bad if you didn't have it. After all, there's gonna be a lot action in Satellite.

Then, Rua putted his hands behind his head and walked towards the door.

-I'm not going.

That simple answer stopped him right on his track. Turning around to face Kokusho, he saw that he was now sitting on the bed, with his head down and an expression of defeat on his face.

-I'm sorry. Could you repeat that, asked Rua while cleaning his ears with his fingers. I'm sure I heard that wrong.

-You heard perfectly, answered Kokusho, while looking at him directly in the eyes. I'm staying here.

-B…B…But what about the dark signers, asked Rua, panicked, while waving his arms like a bird. We need all the help we can. You're good. You can help.

Kokusho sighed at that and looked at his hands.

-I have the strength, but not the will.

Interrogation was most likely printed on Rua's face since Kokusho decided to elaborate.

-I'm not like you guys. I don't have a purpose that gives me energy. I don't have a noble quest to accomplish. I feel that if I go there, it would be for the wrong reasons.

-Who cares, yelled Rua. It doesn't matter.

-On the contrary, answered the white haired boy, while waving his index. In a life-or-death situation like this, if your will isn't strong enough, fear can take over and make you do errors. Terror is a powerful weapon, and I can't do a thing about it, even if I can control my emotions.

Kokusho paused, allowing the information to sink inside his young apprentice.

-How, slowly asked Rua, his eyes the size of plates. How is it possible that you don't want to fight the dark signers? Don't you find what they did horrible?

Kokusho sighed at that. This time, he couldn't look into Rua's eyes directly.

-I do. But it doesn't mean I hate them.

-WHAT, screamed Rua. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?

-Rua, said Kokusho, a look of deep sadness on his face, hate is a powerful emotion. One that I have never felt before. Anger, yes. But hate is a completely different level of emotion. I have never despised someone that strong, since I only see people as cases to analyze.

-Even after what they did, asked Rua, with a small voice, like he was afraid of the answer.

-Yes. In fact, the first thing I though back then was that they were interesting. I was curious to know what kind of mind could accomplish such a horrible act.

Then, he started to laugh. But it was a hollow laugh, without any trace of humor. The pained expression never left his face.

-I'm hopeless, aren't I? I can't even hate the worst criminals of this world. I shouldn't come with you guys. A machine like me has no business in this fight.

That last comment was the last straw for Rua. He couldn't stand to listen to this self-inflicted pain. And so, he did the first thing that every 11 year old boy does in that kind of situation.

He gave him a good smack on his face.

Kokusho held his head with his hands, a shocked expression on his face. Obviously, he didn't expect Rua to react like that.

-Rua, what did…

-SHUT UP, yelled Rua at the top of his lungs, forgetting all about the lessons about good manners that his sister had taught him. I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK.

Kokusho was speechless, his eyes wide open. He had never seen Rua this angry before. Without letting him try to answer, the young boy continued his lecture.

-YOU'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU CAN'T FEEL EMOTIONS AND HOW IT MAKES YOU WEAK. YOU ALWAYS LOOK DOWN ON YOURSELF. STOP DOING THAT. YOU'RE STRONG. YOU CAN DO A LOT OF THINGS.

Tears were now falling from Rua's eyes, but that didn't stop him.

- EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SPECIAL MISSION LIKE RUKA AND THE OTHERS, YOU CAN STILL HELP. STOP OVERTHINKING THINGS AND JUST FOLLOW WHAT YOUR GUTS TELLS YOU. JUST COME WITH US, KOKUSHO.

Before Kokusho could answer, Rua ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him. After running around for a while, he realized that they would leave soon. He went to the roof, where the platform was. When he got up there, he saw that everyone was waiting. After a small talk between Godwin and Yusei, they were ready to leave.

-WAIT UP.

Rua quickly turned his head. He saw Kokusho, running towards them, his duel disk on his left arm. Once he reached the helicopter, he took a moment to catch his breath. Rua went to him, with a mix of hope and anxiety on his face.

-Kokusho?

After a few seconds, the Dream walker was able to speak normally. While looking at the ground and scratching his hair, he spoked with a hesitant voice.

-I still don't think that I should come with you guys… But there is no way I'm gonna let my disciple go to war without keeping an eye on him.

Grinning, Rua took his arm and brought him inside the helicopter.

(end flash-back)

And so, Kokusho finally decided to come. But Rua knew that he wouldn't stop thinking about it for quite a while.

(Later)

As the helicopter started to land, Kokusho finally opened his eyes. He had been lost in his head for most of the trip and it was the first time since they left that he really grasped reality. Even the talk about Yusei's father and the zero reverse incident had no effect on him. He heard what they said, but it didn't interest him. He was far too focused on his own problems. He knew that he was selfish, but he couldn't stop doubting his decision. When they finally landed, he decided to put those thoughts for later and just go with the flow for now.

Outside, Kokusho saw a full scale family reunion taking place. He had to resist the urge to laugh when he saw Jack bow to the woman named Martha, who seemed to be Jack and Yusei's foster mom, and kiss her hand. Yup, the look on his face was priceless. He was also surprised to see so many happy children in Satellite. He had always been told that this city was a place of sadness and corruption, but he was wrong. He smiled a little, knowing that happiness can be found in the darkest place.

Later, the group discussed about the situation of Satellite and what they were going to do. In short, almost every citizen had disappeared when the black mist rose from the B.A.D area, the most dangerous part of the city and most likely, the hideout of the dark signers. Once again, Kokusho wasn't really focused on what was happening. He would simply remain quiet, his left hand on his cheek. The only thing that really caught his attention was the fact that Martha kept looking at him. When the meeting came to an end, Kokusho decided to take some fresh air. However, as soon as he stepped outside, Martha came to him, smiling.

-You're Kokusho, right?

The white haired boy didn't know what to say. Usually, he would comply. But Martha had a strange look in her eyes. Like the cat from Alice in Wonderland.

-Hum… Yes.

Martha'ssmile quickly turned into a grin, which for some reasons, made Kokusho swallowed loudly.

-She's evil. Definitely evil. Like a witch. No, a mind controller. Yes, that's it. No other explanation.

Kokusho's little rant continued as he cleaned the toilet bowl, with a grumpy face on him. Somehow, that woman had taken him away from his thought and managed to convince him to help her cook the meal and clean the entire house. When the security guard, Ushio, came to join him on his tasks, he knew that Martha had forced him to come has well. And this was how things were. Ushio and Kokusho would clean, while Martha would hit them on the head with her spoon when they complained too much. That is, until one of the little boy, Takuya came to help them. Well, helping Ushio would have been more accurate. The boy was fascinated by the guard. While listening to their conversation, Kokusho heard that the little kid's dream was to become a security guard, which is why he looked up to Ushio. That surprised Kokusho a little, since usually, security had a bad reputation. But when Martha stated that Takuya could make his dream come true, even if he was from Satellite, he was shocked. He couldn't believe that a grown up woman that had spend most likely her entire life on this island, could still have hope like this, which is why he came to her when she was leaving the room.

-Miss Martha? Can I ask you a question?

-Of course.

-Do you really believe that this kid could become a security guard, even if he is from Satellite?

-Of course, she replied, a big smile on her face.

-But it's almost impossible for him. Shouldn't he try to become something more accessible to him?

-Everything is possible, as long as you put your heart into it. It doesn't matter if he is from here. He has his mind set. It's the only thing he needs.

Her smile never left her face. After a few seconds, Kokusho realize that his eyes were as big as plates and his mouth was wide open. Only one thought came to his mind: This woman was the strongest person he had ever seen. Not because of her answer, but because of her convictions. He could see in her eyes that she truly believed what she said. He had heard so many people say this but only for the purpose of making the person they spoke to feel better. However, this woman had a sincere faith in the future, even after seeing all the suffering of this place. Suddenly, he understood how she was able to raise so many kids, like Yusei and Jack. She was a pure spirit of kindness and hope. Somehow, he felt that he could trust her. And suddenly, he didn't mind doing the chores.

-It was nice of you to help Ushio, said Kokusho as he gathered the cleaning supplies.

-He only needed to get his mind off his problems. Just like you, replied Martha, while brushing his hair.

And the realization finally hit him. He hasn't thought of his doubts since he started working.

-Thank you, said Kokusho, smiling

-It's alright. Everyone has a love sickness sometime, just like Ushio and you.

The smile fell just as quickly as it came.

-It's not a love problem, replied Kokusho, hesitant. Well, I can't say that my love life is great too. I mean, it's not bad, but…

-Ah ah ah, said Martha, waving her spoon. You have some problems with your heart. Tell me about it.

For some reason, he couldn't say no to her. And as he started his story, only one thought crossed his mind: I can't believe I'm doing this.

(Flash back: 1 year ago)

The first time he discovered her existence was at the school library, during lunch break. He was getting a new book, when he saw her hiding behind a bookshelf. She seemed to be spying on him, but it didn't bother him at first. However, after a while, he realized that she kept looking at him during the breaks. So, he decided to do what every maniac of the mind do in these cases: learn more about her.

After a few days, he had learned that her name was Amanda Noah and she was the same age as him. She was a little bit smaller than him, had long purple hair and light brown eyes, hence her name. She was in the same grade as him, but in the art department, while he was in psychology. According to his sources, since he couldn't call them his friends, she was a studious and friendly girl. This made him even more curious because he couldn't understand why a girl like her would follow him, the most notorious anti-social guy in this school. However, he got his answer rather quickly. A week after he began to analyze her, she came to him, after school. She was blushing and seemed to be hesitant about something.

-Hum, she said. Can I talk to you for a moment?

-Sure, answered Kokusho, his face remaining neutral.

-Well, at first, I was too afraid to tell you but…

Her face was all red now and she was ready to faint.

-I REALLY LIKE YOU; she said loudly, her eyes closed, like she was afraid to look at him.

That took him by surprised. He was expecting a few things, but not this.

-B..b...but why, he asked, clearly at a loss of words,

-Well, I always thought you were cute, she answered, her stress slowly disappearing as she became more relaxed, like she was letting go something heavy. But I also think you're very kind and helpful.

-K..kind? I don't know if you listen to rumors, but…

-You only see people as psychological cases, I know, she said with a smile, like she knew what he was going to say. But I know that a lot of people come to you when they have problems, no matter what they are to you. Even if you don't realize it, you help them find who they are. I think that even if you are not aware of it, you want to be helpful.

Kokusho didn't know what to say. He had never seen things this way before. It was true that some students did come to him, seeking advice about what they should do, but he had never thought of judging his actions from their points of view.

-I know I must be strange for you, but I really admire you. You have something that I can't describe, but it makes you special. And I couldn't hide it any longer. Please, tell me. Could there be something between us? Could we be together?

She was now looking at the ground, unable to look at him directly. Yet, her face showed only one emotion: Hope. Kokusho knew that breaking this face would also hurt him, but he didn't want to lie to her. Her feelings were too pure for that.

-Listen, Amanda, said Kokusho, a hesitating look on his face, like he was afraid to say the wrong thing. From what I heard, you are a wonderful person. You tried to see the best in everyone and you are always optimist. I think that if I could, I would gladly go out with you. But I can't.

It was his turn to look at the ground.

-It's not that I have someone else. I just don't want to hurt you. The rumors are true, Amanda. For me, people's feelings are just part of their personality. They help me find what they are inside. That's why I don't hang out with other people. I feel I would just be a hypocrite if I pretended that I cared about them. I don't want to give false hope. I'm sorry.

Amanda lowered her head. She was obviously sad.

-Okay.

Both of them couldn't speak for at least one minute. Then, all of a sudden, Amanda raised her head. Determination was now written all over her face.

-May I borrow your cell phone?

Kokusho was too surprised to protest.

-What are you doing, asked kokusho, while she was playing with the phone

-Putting my phone number, silly, answered Amanda, wearing a playful smile, while giving back the cell.

-your…

-I haven't given up on you yet, said Amanda, with a determinate look back on her face. And I won't lose to anyone. Even if we can't be together, I'm sure we can be friends. So, if you ever need someone to talk to, just dial my number. I will be there for you.

After saying this, she gave him a last smile before turning around and leaving.

(end flash-back)

-And that resumes my love life.

Kokusho was now leaning on his broom, while Martha hasn't moved a bit.

-And do you still have her number, asked Martha, with her everlasting smile.

-Yes. I thought of deleting it a few times. I thought that if she didn't hear from me for a while, she would give up and find someone that could make her happy. But for some reasons, I couldn't do it.

-That means that deep down, you care for her and you want to be with her.

The white haired boy looked at her with eyes the size of balloons. Martha just smiled and pats him on the shoulder.

-I know it must be confusing for you, but I'm sure things will work out for you. You just have to be patient. These things take time. But you will find your answer. I'm sure of it.

Martha then left for the kitchen to finish the dinner, leaving Kokusho with his thoughts. After a minute, he took out his cell phone and looked at it for a while. Then, he smiled a little.

-Yeah, said Kokusho to himself, maybe.

Although everyone welcomed this moment of peace, it wasn't meant to last. The dinner started quite smoothly. The children, Martha, Yusei and even Jack, who had spent two years in Neo-Domino, were enjoying the dinner. Rua, Ruka, Aki, Mikage and Kokusho seemed to have a second opinion about the food, since they were used to the food of the big city. Ushio seemed to handle well the food, although it was a bit spicy for him.

But then all hell broke loose. The window suddenly shattered in a thousand pieces. After the initial chaos, everyone looked at the window to see what the cause of this mess was. Outside, a man was waiting. He was wearing a black cloak and had white hair, just like Kokusho. He had a duel disk on his left arm and on the right, the sign of the spider. A dark signer. He introduced himself as Rudger and he proposed to welcome the signers with a duel.

Kokusho couldn't take is eyes off of him. With just a look, Kokusho had already learned a lot about this man. He was strong and arrogant. He could clearly see that. But this arrogance was justified. He was powerful, and he knew it. That made him even more dangerous, since this meant that he wasn't afraid to use his power. Kokusho could hardly believe that someone like this could exist. This made him even more curious. He really wanted to analyze the mind of these dark signers.

However, he didn't have the chance. Yusei accepted the challenge and left with Aki to battle. And so, Kokusho and the others went back inside. Until they realized that the three boys that were living with Martha had left the house. Terrified for them, Martha and Ushio ran out to look for them, leaving Jack, Rua Ruka, Kokusho, Mikage, Saiga and the two remaining girls in the house. A few minutes later, the dragon mark on Jack's and Ruka's arm began to glow, showing that the duel had begun. But there were no signs of Martha and the others. Fearing for their lives, the group decided to look for them at the battleground where the duel was held. Jack took his D-wheel, while the rest took a police car.

The ride was pretty quiet. Everyone was hoping that nobody would get hurt. But the closer they get to the spider mark, the more worries they would feel. Suddenly, as they came close to the dueling ground, the earth began to shake. A pillar of light burst to the sky and a black heart made of stone appeared. Knowing what this meant, Jack accelerated while the others stopped the car at the limit of the fire boundaries created by Rudger. To be able to see the action, the gangs climbed to the roof of a building. When they reached the top, they were shocked by what they saw: Jack inside the boundaries, protecting two of the three boys and Yusei facing Rudger, who had summoned a monstrosity. A giant black and red Spider. An Earthbound God.

Kokusho and Rua looked at each other with scared eyes, knowing what the other was thinking. The brain waves that came from this creature were gigantic. None of them had ever felt this before. And yet, Yusei was willing to fight it. Admiration was reflecting in Rua's eyes, while Kokusho smiled a little. But soon, everything went downhill. Although Yusei managed to evade the first attack, the threat of the spider hit another building, making it fall down slowly. A scream from the same building brought everyone's attention. Martha and Ushio where trying to help the third boy, who was slipping on the roof towards the boundaries of fire.

For Kokusho, the next minute felt like a century. He saw Martha helping the young boy to climb back to Ushio. He saw her slip as well and reaches the end of the roof. He saw her give her last words to Ushio, Yusei and Jack, smiling. And finally, he saw her falling to her death before being absorbed by the Earthbound God.

Something inside him snapped. Why, he thought, with tears in his eyes. Why Her? He couldn't believe that Martha was gone. She was a pure spirit, a treasure of kindness and hope. She was the beacon of light for everyone in Satellite. And she was gone. No, taken away. A new feeling took over his entire being. The one feeling he wanted to feel so badly since he arrived on this island: Hate. Hate for the dark signers, who had dared to take away Martha and so many more. And as he heard Jack telling Yusei to defeat Rudger, Kokusho added his own feeling.

-DESTROY HIM, YUSEI.

Everyone looked at him. No one, not even Rua had ever seen him so angry. But he didn't care. The only thing he wanted was revenge. And so, on the roof of this building, Kokusho made a vow to himself: That he would do everything he could to defeat the dark signers.

Author's note

Hello everyone.

I'm very sorry for the delay. I had a lot of things to do at school and I couldn't work properly on this chapter. I hope you guys like it. I decided to go deeper in Kokusho's personality. I just hope I haven't made him emo.

I also wanted to thanks everyone that reviewed my story. I am grateful for that. And I have a special thank to Lunar Moon Goddess, who helped me to correct a few things in my story.

I swear that the next chapter will be posted soon. And it will have more action. In the meantime, please continue to review, please.

Volcaniclord


	6. Declaration of war

Kokusho: Wake up.

Volcaniclord: Five minutes mom.

Kokusho: WAKE UP. THE STORY IS GOING TO START.

VL: No more tuna. I'm full

Kokusho: this guy is supposed to be my creator. How lame. All right. I'll do it. Volcaniclord doesn't how Yu-gi-oh. You know the drill by now.

Declaration of war

The gang had come back from the battle opposing Yusei and Rudger. The dark signers had escaped, but it was only a matter of time before they would meet again. Their nemesis challenged them. They would answer. But for now, they had to get their strength back. The duel had left them exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

(Flash-back)

The battle had reached his peak. Martha's death had set the soul of Yusei and his friends on fire. Following the advice of Jack and Kokusho, Yusei decided to drop all form of defence and went on the offensive and summoned his ace monster, Stardust Dragon. After finding the weakness of the Earthbound God, Yusei ordered his dragon to go for Rudger directly. But the dark signer was ready. Using a trap card, he blocked the attack and created even more defensive monsters. Unwilling to give up, Yusei decided to continue the battle. But Rudger had something else in store for the signer.

Using his dark powers, he switched his place in the duel with one of Yusei's friends, a boy named Rally. And since it was a shadow duel, the loser would be absorbed by the black mist. Although the boy looked like he was duelling for winning, Kokusho saw through his plan, by listening to the sound of his voice. A sad, but determined sound, like someone who had accepted his destiny.

-No, said Kokusho, his eyes wide open.

-What, asked Mikage, worried.

-He doesn't want to win. He wants to die.

Down there, Yusei had arrived to the same conclusion. He desperately tried to convince Rally to change his decision, but it was futile. Using both the power of the Earthbound God Uru and his own cards, he managed to destroy the behemoth and reduce his life points to zero, ending the duel with Yusei's victory. After saying his final goodbye, the boy turned to black sand and vanished. Yusei's scream echoed inside the heart of everyone that was present. Then, the five dark signers suddenly appeared in front of them, challenging them to the final showdown. With fire in their eyes and vengeance in their hearts, the signers and their friends decided that they would fight.

(end flash-back)

And so, the group was preparing for the duel of their lifetime. It was decided that they would go when the morning would come. Each signer would go to a specific control tower that keeps the doors of the underworld open and where the dark signers would be waiting. Yusei would fight Kiryu of the giant, Aki and Mikage would face Misty of the lizard, Ruka, Rua and Ushio decided to go after Demark of the monkey, the one who had the dragon of Ruka and Jack, for some unknown reasons, said he would go after the dark signer of the hummingbird. Saiga and surprisingly Kokusho would stay at the house to protect the remaining children. When the meeting ended, Rua went to the room that Kokusho used in order to ask him some questions.

-KOKUSHO, yelled Rua as he opened the door.

-Yes Rua, responded Kokusho, smiling.

-WHY AREN'T YOU COMING WITH US? YOU SAID YOU WOULD HELP US.

-I'm going to help you, said Kokusho. But differently.

-What, asked Rua, confused.

-Remember when Yusei said to the kids that Martha could come back if we beat the dark signers, so they could calm down? Yusei wasn't sure that it was possible. I'm going to see if it's true.

-Really, asked Rua, suddenly happy. How?

-Rua, did you really forget about our powers already, said Kokusho, as he smiled and gave the little boy a little hit on his head. I can locate the brain waves of anyone in this island, if they are asleep. It might be possible that she is in a form of coma. If she is, it's possible to find her.

-In that case, let me come with you,

-No Rua, ordered Kokusho, suddenly serious. It might be dangerous. I have no idea if she is really alive and if she is, if I can reach her. There are too many uncertain factors. And besides, your place is somewhere else.

Kokusho putted a knee on the ground to be directly in the eyes of his young apprentice.

-Your sister needs you. You are her strength, her protector. Your place is by her side. You want to help her, don't you?

-Of course, said Rua, as he lowered his head. But I don't want you to be hurt. You're my friend.

Touched by the boy's feeling, Kokusho gave him a warm smiled and put his hand on his head.

-Don't worry. I will be fine. And speaking of power, I want to try something.

-What, asked Rua, puzzled.

Kokusho sat on the ground,his back against the wall , and asked Rua to come as well.

-I know you haven't entered the trance of the Dreamwalkers for a while now, but I would like to try something.

-What is it, asked Rua, while sitting against the wall as well.

-I want you to try to enter my dreams while I'm inside my trance, told Kokusho, while raising a finger, in a teacher's manner

-What, yelled Rua with a shocked face. I thought you couldn't enter my head when I was in a coma. If you couldn't do it, how can I succeed?

-Last time, your powers were chaotic, replied Kokusho. I couldn't focus on your brain waves because they were out of control. But mine are much calmer. You should be able to synchronize with them.

Rua felt like he wasn't sure if it would work, but Kokusho didn't let him answer. Instead, he put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

-Come on, Rua. Think of it as your final test before I can let you go.

-Wait a second, realized Rua. If I enter your mind while you're travelling the world of dreams, what will happen?

-No idea, replied Kokusho, wearing a playful smile. Let's find out.

And before Rua could reply, his teacher entered the world of dreams

-One second he's a serious guy that doubts his every movement, said Rua to himself, his eyes twitching. And one second later, he's a joker. Maybe trying to make him more social wasn't such a good idea after all.

Nevertheless, Rua decided to try. After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he closed his eyes and began to do what Kokusho and he had practice for many days: enter someone else's dreams. However, at first, he wasn't able to do it. Usually, his mind would unite with another one with ease. But Kokusho's brain waves were too big. Two more attempts s ended in the same result.

-Why can't I do it, thought Rua, getting quickly frustrated. It usually takes a bit of time, but I can do it almost instinctively.

And suddenly, Rua saw the problem. He was only focussing on finding the brain waves. He would then let his mind do the rest of the work on his own. If he wanted to succeed, he also had to synchronize the waves manually. Closing his eyes once again, the young Dreamwalker let his mind flow towards his master. Only this time, he kept his mind focused on his target. As soon as the two minds came together, Rua felt the impact to the very core of his brain. The brain waves were clashing with each other, like two bulls fighting for their territory. It took all for Rua's to remain concentrated. Although he wanted to let go, he knew he couldn't. Kokusho said that he could do it. No one, beside his sister, had said that he believed in him. They would always say that he was too young or too immature. But Kokusho believed in him. And he wasn't going to disappoint him. Fuelled with a new strength, Rua put all of his energy into a single action: synchronize. Using his mind, Rua shaped his brain waves in order to copy those of Kokusho. Like a blacksmith, Rua used his will to make his waves bigger, longer and more constant. Each second was like a year for him. But slowly, like someone making a puzzle, Rua came closer to his goal until finally, the two waves were identical.

As soon as this happened, Rua's vision changed. Instead of the usual blackness that came from the fact that his eyes were closed, he saw a world of darkness with a thousand little lights. The Crossroad of Dreams. However, instead of being alone, Kokusho was in front of him, a proud smile on his lips.

-I told you that you could do it, said Kokusho, his smile remaining on his face.

Rua didn't know what to say. There was too much emotion inside of him. The only thing he could do was nodding his head, with little tears in his eyes. His teacher seemed to understand what he was going through and let him have the time to sort his ideas. After a while, Rua managed to speak.

-Did you know this was going to happen?

-No, replied Kokusho, while looking at the top of his head with an enigmatic expression. I had the feeling it would work, but I wasn't sure. Now I am. And besides, the objective of this training is complete.

-You wanted me to try to control my power on my own, asked Rua, his eyes wide open with surprised.

-Yes, responded Kokusho, his face turning suddenly serious. You needed to know that. We are about to face creatures unlike we have ever seen. We need to be ready for anything. I don't know why, but I have the feeling that we will be needed for this battle.

-Kokusho, whispered Rua, can we win?

Kokusho looked at Rua. Usually, the boy was filled with determination. But now, he doubted himself. Kneeling in front of his disciple, Kokusho spoke to him.

-It will be difficult, but I'm sure we can win this war.

Rua raised his head to meet Kokusho's eyes. They were full of determination.

-Now, said Kokusho, while putting his hand on Rua's shoulder, forget your worries. You need to be strong. Not just for yourself, but for your sister has well. She needs you. Protect her.

Rua looked at him for a moment before nodding to him, his strength back and his doubts gone.

-I will.

-I know, said Kokusho. You will do just fine. And never forget. I'm proud to have you as my apprentice and as my friend.

Rua didn't know what to say. It was the first time that Kokusho was this open with him. But he was happy. And he knew that he didn't have to respond. There was a link between them now. A link based on thrust and friendship.

The sun wasn't even up when the group decided to leave. From the window, Kokusho could see them getting ready for the battle that they would have to face. He didn't want to disturb them, so he decided to stay inside. Just before they left, Rua looked at him one last time. He was afraid, he could tell. Although his face remained empty of emotion, he nodded his head to give him some encouragements. Rua, despised his nervousness, smiled a little in return. Kokusho wished he could do more, but his mind was focussed on the task that he had to accomplish. And besides, he had already said everything he had to. While turning his head, the young Dreamwalker went to the first couch he could find and began to meditate on it. After a while Saiga entered the room.

-They left, said Saiga, a grim on his face.

-Very well, replied Kokusho, his eyes closed. Now, it's time for me to go. Remember, if you see anything that looks suspicious, hit me on the arm.

-Are you sure it's a good idea, asked Saiga, looking sceptical.

-We need to know if Martha and the others are alive or not. It might be useful. And if they are alive, it could motivate Yusei and the others to fight harder. So I have to try it.

Without another word, Kokusho entered the Crossroad of Dreams. He welcomed the darkness with opened arms. Earthbound gods and dark signers weren't his speciality. Dreams and mind were his weapons. And he was going to use each one to his fullest potential. Setting his mind on Martha's brain waves, Kokusho began his search.

At first, there was nothing. No respond of any sort. But he was ready for that. He knew that if Martha was held prisoner by the Earthbound God, he would have to try harder. Unwilling to give up, Kokusho released even more waves. Again, no response. Panic slowly began to crawl inside Kokusho. Maybe he was wrong, he though. Maybe she was really dead.

No. He couldn't believe that. She had to be alive somewhere. A pure being as her couldn't die like that. Plus, he had promised Rua he would find her. And that was a promise he didn't want to break. Deciding to take a gamble, the white haired boy began to concentrate all of his might into one single wave. He knew that after that, he wouldn't be able to search for a dream for a while. He already made the experience once. But this wave would be far more powerful than the rest. If he couldn't find with that, that meant she was dead. Taking a deep breath, Kokusho gathered the rest of his powers. After waiting for a second, he released his energy in one shot. The wave was like a tsunami that was travelling everywhere and leaving no space untouched. And finally, Kokusho felt a response. It was small, but it was there. Smiling, Kokusho followed the signal to where the mind of Martha was.

When he arrived where the signal was coming from, he was speechless. The mind of Martha, along with dozen more, was locked inside a bigger sphere. But this one was dark, almost black. The lights could barely shine. Kokusho knew at first sight what it was. It was the mind of an Earthbound God. Instinctively, he touched the dark ball, but retracted immediately. The sphere had burned him.

Far away, in the B.A.D. sector, Rudger opened his eyes. He had been resting ever since his duel with Yusei in order to regain his strength. But now, something was calling him. Looking at his deck, he saw one of the cards shining. Frowning, he knew at once what was going on. Someone was attacking his god, Uru. However, he didn't know who could have done this. None of the signers had that power. Nonetheless, he knew what he had to do. Using his dark powers, Rudger sent a message to someone who was always with him. Someone who could find this mysterious attacker.

While swearing a bit, Kokusho shook his hand in an attempt to reduce the pain he was feeling. Obviously, these gods had an amazing mental defence. With his fingers on his chin, Kokusho began to think. Mere strength wouldn't be enough. He would have to use his other powers. If his power to change dreams could work on the god's mind, perhaps he could destroy their mind from the inside and free all the prisoners. But before he could go further in his theories, a new pain caught his attention. This time, the pain was coming from his left arm. However, the feeling was different from the last one. Kokusho realized that someone had touched his real body. Saiga was warning about something. Although reluctant, Kokusho left the world of Dreams.

The first thing he saw was the worried face of Saiga.

-What, asked Kokusho, annoyed.

- Someone just appeared outside, replied Saiga. I think he's one of the dark signers.

After hearing this, Kokusho rushed to the front door. Saiga was right. There was a man. He had a black cloak that hides most of his body, except a part of his face and his arms and a glowing mark shaped like a spider. Since this man wasn't Rudger, he assumed that he was one of those puppet duelists that Yusei and Jack talked about. Kokusho growled at this. He had a feeling that the dark signers would react to his attack, but he didn't think they would be this fast.

-Saiga, whispered Kokusho, go inside and make sure the kids remain safe. I will deal with this guy.

-WHAT, yelled back Saiga. Are you crazy? You can't do this alone. We can take this guy together.

-Saiga, replied Kokusho, you haven't dueled for quite a while now. It would be dangerous for you. And I don't trust these guys at all.

Saiga wanted to protest, but had to surrender to these arguments. After the man went back in the house, Kokusho finally decided to speak to the emissary.

-What do you want, demanded Kokusho, while keeping a poker face.

-I am looking for the one who committed the vile act of attacking an Earthbound God.

The strange voice of the man scared Kokusho a little bit. It was like two people were taking at the same time. This man was obviously controlled. And he wouldn't stop until his mission was complete, no matter who was in his way.

-You're looking at him, said Kokusho, deciding to face the problem right on. What do you want with me?

The man started to laugh in a sinister way.

-You have crossed the path of beings you can't even come close to comprehend. You have seen what's forbidden. And for that, there is no hope for forgiveness.

-I never asked to be forgiven, replied Kokusho, a determined look on his face. In fact, you can view this as my first act of war against your masters. I will help the signers to take you down.

-You just made a foolish choice, said the man, a wicked smile on his face, while placing a duel disk on his left arm. You will pay with your life.

-We shall see about that, replied Kokusho, lighting in his eyes and duel disk ready.

-Careful, yelled Saiga from the house. Dueling with these guys means taking real damage.

-Don't worried, responded Kokusho, a little smile on his face. I will be fine.

-Amusing, interrupted the cloaked man. You think you have a chance against the gods. Darkness will swallow your entire being.

-I don't know about your gods, replied Kokusho, his poker face back on, but I think I can take you down, whatever your name is.

-It's Norad, said the man, his wicked smile growing by the second. The last name you will ever hear.

-We shall see.

-Both: DUEL

As soon as they said these words, purple flames suddenly lighted up around them forming a circle that trapped them inside.

K:4000 N:4000

-I'll go first, said Norad. Draw.

Norad took a look at his cards before choosing one,

-I summon Newdoria, in defence mode (Def:800).

A weird demon rose from the field. It had green pants, orange skin and black bracelets all over his body.

-I also play the continuous spell card The Dark Door, which prevents both players to attack with more than one monster per turn. I end my turn. Now, said Norad, laughing, show me what you can do.

-Very well, replied Kokusho, his neutral face remaining. My draw.

Alright, though Kokusho. Since I don't know him, I can only analyse his deck. It's obvious that he is defensive. Newdoria will destroy the monster that destroys it and Dark Door limits my attack capacities. However, though Kokusho, a small smile forming on his lips, there is more than one way to attack.

-First, Said Kokusho with force, I play this field card: Nightmare Realm.

As soon as he played that card, a black shroud rose from the ground. It started to spin around, like a whirlwind, before creating a black twister. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary twister where you could see those inside. But inside, the black mist constantly showed purple images of monsters and creatures that only lived in people's fears. From time to time, those creatures would fly around inside the storm, making the twister look like it was haunted.

-This world was created by the nightmares of every human on earth, explained Kokusho to Norad, who showed a little surprised when the twister was formed. And here, my nightmares monsters are at the top of their capacities. Now, I summon Nightmare shaman, in attack mode. (Atk: 1500)

A man wearing a purple Indian ceremony dress with runes on it and a hat shaped like a raven appeared on the field.

-And when he is normal summoned, I can send the top three from my deck to the graveyard to place a nightmare counter on him.

Kokusho sent the top three cards. They were pot of avarice, Nightmare Golem and Nightmare Gatekeeper. The runes on the robe of the monster started to glow. Unknown to Norad, two pairs of purple eyes suddenly appeared on the surface of the twister.

-And now that my monster has a nightmare counter, he gets even stronger, since nightmare Realm gives 500 more attack points to every nightmare monster that has a nightmare counter on them. (1500-2000)

-You want to attack me, asked Norad while laughting. Go ahead.

-I'm not stupid, Norad. I know it's a trap, said Kokusho, emotionless as ever. And I won't fall for it. I use the special effect of Nightmare shaman. If he has a nightmare counter, I can send a nightmare monster from my deck to the graveyard and deals 500 points of damage.

After Kokusho sent his card, the shaman lifted his arms and started to sing. A beam of light came out of the raven's helmet and pierced Norad's shoulder. And a third pair of purple eyes joined the others on Nightmare Realm.

-Furthermore, said Kokusho as he took back the monster that was ditched to show it to his opponents, the monster I sent was Nightmare bomb. And when it is send to the graveyard while nightmare Realm is on the field, it deals 500 points of damage.

A black fireball with red eyes suddenly came out of the twister on Norad's side and exploded, forcing the cloaked man to kneel down because of the pain

-Finally, since Nightmare shaman can't attack if he uses his power, I end my turn with a facedown card.

K:4000 N:3000

Even if it was obvious that Norad was hurt, he didn't seemed to be affected by it. In fact, it was almost like he enjoyed it.

-My turn, said Norad. You might think you are winning, but you are wrong. I release my Newdoria to advance summon Dark Ruler Ha Des, in attack mode (atk: 2450).

The fiend turned into a multicolour sphere, from which a large green skinned demon emerged. He was wearing a strange dress made of both tissues and metal plates with a skull and a face at the middle.

-Now my ruler, yelled Norad, attack his shaman. Underworld scream.

The fiend opened his mouth and let out a huge roar that created a strong wind. Kokusho's monster tried to fight it, but failed and was destroyed. Kokusho received the impact as well. It hit himlike a cannonball and made him fell a few feet backwards. But he kept his poker face all the way.

-See now, taunt the envoy of the dark signers, my strength is far greater than yours. Give up and I will finish you without too much pain.

-When you do that kind of threat, replied Kokusho, you should make sure that your opponent doesn't have any others options. I reveal my trap card. Nightmare Rebirth. This allows me to bring back a level 4 or lower nightmare monster that was destroyed this turn, as long as I send a nightmare monster from my deck to the graveyard. And I send another Nightmare bomb.

The fallen shaman reappeared on the field. At the same time, another fireball exploded beside Norad. When the smoke cleared out, he rose once again. But now, he had lost his smile and he was clearly angry.

-Your little tricks won't work forever, snapped Norad. I will crush you, no matter what you do. I play two cards facedown and end my turn.

K:3550 N:2500

-My turn. Now, since you seemed to appreciate the power of my shaman so much, said Kokusho, with a taunting smile and a teasing voice, I think I will use it again.

-Wait up, interrupted Norad. Your shaman was special summoned. That means it doesn't have a counter.

-True, replied calmly Kokusho, but my nightmare deck holds far more power than you think. Noticed anything on my field card?

Norad started to look around and finally notice with surprise the four pairs of eyes on the side of the twister.

-This is the second effect of Nightmare Realm, explained Kokusho. Each time a nightmare monster is sent to the grave, I can place a night counter on my field card. And by removing three of them, I can place a nightmare counter on any monster on the field. So, I remove three counters to add a nightmare counter on my shaman.

Three of the four pairs detached themselves from the wall and flew to the shaman, reactivating the runes.

-And now, like they say in bars, let's have another shot, joked Kokusho.

The Dreamwalker sent his third bomb to the graveyard to activate his monster's ability. And once again, both the shaman and the bomb forced Norad to fall on the ground. A new pair of eyes appeared as well.

K :3500 N:1500

-Things aren't over yet, said Kokusho, showing the face of a fighter. I release my shaman to advance summon one of my favourite monster: Nightmare Phantom, in attack mode (atk:2200)

Just like the fiend lord, the sorcerer became a ball of color before a strange creature came out. It was almost a replica of the grim reaper, but where the skull was supposed to be, there was nothing, except two blue eyes. And a third pair of eyes made their appearance on the twister.

-When this monster is tribute summoned, he gains a nightmare counter, said Kokusho, as a purple skull appeared on the ghost's chest. This means that he now gains the power of Nightmare Realm. Furthermore, I remove my three night counter to place a second nightmare counter on it.

Once again, the three pairs of eyes went to the phantom. (2200-2700)

-Nightmare phantom, destroy his ruler. Nightmare claw.

One of the skeleton claws of Kokusho's monster suddenly began to glow and to become three times its size. It flew right at the fiend and slashed it, destroying it.

-I end my turn.

K:3550 N:1250

Good, though Kokusho. The taunt was perfect. He was playing right in his hand. A few more tricks and he would win.

-My move, said Norad, annoyed.

But as soon as he saw the card he drew, his wicked smile returned and he began to laugh. Kokusho didn't like it one bit. This guy couldn't bluff. That means he had something very powerful in his hand.

-You, who seemed to control nightmares, will now experience the greater fear your mind can imagine. First, I discard my Fiend of Knowledge to activate his effect. This let me search my deck for a spell card and place it in my hand. But if I play it, I can't use another spell or trap card, or normal summon as well.

Kokusho's eyes opened wide as Norad sent his monster to the graveyard. He was taking a huge risk. That spell must be worth it. But when the image of a geek looking demon holding a spell card appeared, he didn't recognize it. The image showed a vortex from where a famous monster was coming out. Dark Necrofear.

-You look puzzled, taunt Norad. Let me clear things for you. I play the spell card I gained: Legacy of Dark Necrofear. This let me remove three fiend type monsters from my graveyard so I can special a level six or lower fiend type monster from my deck. And I choose my Hell Gatherer (atk:1500).

The three fiends in Norad's graveyard suddenly materialised themselves to the field and fused together to create a black vortex, from which a weird looking demon came out. It had the head of a bull, the feet of a dragon and the claws of a bird. The rest of the body was hidden by a red dress.

-And since I special summoned my Gatherer, his special ability let me search my deck for any fiend type monster I want.

Norad searched his deck for a specific monster and when he found it, his face reflected only one thing: insanity.

-Soon, yelled Norad, you will face true terror. If at least three fiends monster have been removed from the game, I can special summon this monster. I summon Dark-Tuner D.D. Devil (atk:0).

From the ground rose a weird looking demon. Although it had roughly the same appearance of a normal demon, with muscles, a horned head and the tail of an imp, it constantly changed color. It would be red for a second, than blue and even transparent, like he couldn't remain stable in this dimension.

-And now, said Norad while lifting his arms in the air, you will face the instrument of your destruction. I'm dark-tuning my level 4 Hell Gatherer with my level 9 Dark-Tuner D.D. Devil.

The colourful demon suddenly broke into nine stars, which flew towards the other demon and entered the demon's body, which became transparent. The four stars inside Hell Gatherer vanished with four of the nine stars of the dark-tuner. The remaining stars became black and burst from the fiend's body, shattering it, and gathered together to create a portal. During this whole process, Norad was reciting some kind of incantation.

-When dark overlaps with dark, the doors of the underworld will open. To a world without light. Dark synchro. Appear now, Twin-Faces Devil (atk:2500).

Out of the dark gate came out a twisted creature. It was a giant demon that looked like it came out from Christian legends. It had red purple skin, large curled horns, sheep feet and a black sword in one hand and a white sword on the other. On top of that, his face was hidden by a half-white and half-black mask with no features. Kokusho couldn't help but be a little scared of it. He had heard of those dark synchro monsters, but it was something else to face one.

-Twin-face Devil, attack his phantom. Twin sword dance.

Kokusho tried to keep his surprise in check. Why would he attack a monster with higher attack points? But the attack still took place. The devil tried to slash the ghost, but had his blades caught by the bone hands of the phantom. Then, the phantom threw the swords away and slashed the demon with his claws, destroying it.

-I reveal my trap card, said Norad with the face of someone who had a plan. Option Hunter. This gives me life points equal to the attack points of a monster I control that was destroyed by battle. Plus, when Twin-Face Devil is destroyed, I can play two Mask tokens on the field in attack mode.

Two small masks, one black and one white, appeared on Norad's side (Dark; fiend; level 1; atk:0).

-I play two cards facedown and end my turn.

K:3550 N: 3750

Kokusho though that this situation was fishy. He didn't know where the point of this strategy was. If he wanted to use the tokens for a tribute, he would have waited for him to attack since his tokens were protected from a second attack, thanks to The Dark Door. And the tokens didn't seem to have any ability. He would have to keep playing normally before he could find a weakness.

-My turn, said Kokusho, a bit hesitant. I draw.

-During your standby-phase, the power of Twin-face Devil is activate, interrupted Norad. During the standby-phase of the turn after it was destroyed, I can tribute two fiend type monsters to bring him back.

The two masks suddenly turned into two balls of light and fused together to create a portal from which the Twin-Devil returned.

-Plus, when it's brought back from the graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field. And I choose your Nightmare Phantom.

The fiend placed his blades to form an X with them. An X from where a beam of light came out and rushed towards the ghost.

-I activate the special effect of Nightmare Phantom, yelled Kokusho, almost panicked. I can negate his destruction by removing a nightmare counter from it.

A black ball came out of the ghost body and created a black dome on which the beam was reflected. Kokusho was panting. He wasn't expecting this. He couldn't understand why he was so panicked. His monster was protected. And while he was catching his breath, he understood. Although he was winning, the fear of the consequences of this duel were still there. If he would loose here, his life would be forfeited. Plus, the pain here was real. This situation was hard for him, who usually waited for the opponents to use their combos before countering them. But he had to be calm. Otherwise, he could do a fatal mistake. Behing him, the white haired boy heard Saiga coming out of the house.

-Are you alright, asked Saiga, doubts all over his face.

At first, Kokusho didn't respond. He was too busy trying to breathe normally. But after a few seconds, he looked at him with a calm face and a little smile.

-Don't worry, said Kokusho. Just a bit of tension. Nothing to worry about. I'm okay now.

Especially now that I finally found his attack pattern, though Kokusho as he turned to face his opponents again. That devil is the core of the offence with his large amount of attack points and his ability. The other fiends are mostly there to summon it and to bring him back if one of the tokens is ever destroyed. The rest of the deck is probably focused on life gaining to negate the damage taken if one of the tokens is destroyed.

Kokusho was now confident. He had faced life gaining decks before, so he knew one of the weaknesses of the deck and of the duellists who used them. He would have to play a bit of a dangerous game, but it would be worth it.

-I use the spell card Nightmare regeneration, said Kokusho while taking a challenging face, which lets you draw a card and let me bring back a nightmare monster from the grave to my hand.

Norad drew his card, while Kokusho took his Nightmare Shaman back.

-I once again summon my Nightmare Shaman, in attack mode.

Just like the beginning of the battle, the shaman rose from the ground.

-HA, laughed Norad. Like I'm gonna let you pull that trick again. I activate my trap card. Torrential Tribute. When a monster is summoned, it destroys all monsters on the field.

A torrent of water erupted from the ground and splashed all the monsters on the field. When the water finally vanished, the only things left were the two masks left by Twin-Face Devil and Nightmare Phantom, protected by a shield, along with a new pair of eyes on Nightmare Realm.

-You're a fool, said Kokusho while forming a fist with his hand. By removing my last Nightmare counter, I protected my monster from destruction. And even if Nightmare Realm doesn't affect him anymore, he is still powerful enough to break that chain of resurrection and seriously hurt you. Phantom, attack his mask.

The phantom charged at the mask, his runes no longer glowing (atk: 2700-2200)

-You are the fool, replied Norad. Did you really think I would let you destroy my combo that easily? Go, Draining Shield. This trap card negates your attack and let me gains life points equal to the attack points of your monster.

A second before the ghost finished his attack, a shield blocked his path.

-Why you..., grumbled Kokusho. I play a card facedown and end my turn.

K:3550 N: 5950

-And I though you would be a challenge, mocked Norad. You are just a show-off. Soon, the darkness will claim your soul. My turn.

A light in the sky caught the attention of the two fighters. A figure was forming in the sky, just like the spider that was formed during the fight with Rudger. But this time, it was the shape of a monkey. This could only mean one thing: the battle between the signers and the dark signers had begun. And it started with the youngest of them.

-Ruka, Rua, whispered Kokusho, with a worried face.

-Afraid for your friends, yelled Norad, while laughing. Don't worry. You will be joining them soon. Twin-Face Devil, return.

The two masks once again merged to bring back the fiend.

-And now, say goodbye to your phantom for good. Devil, use your special effect and destroy that phantom.

The devil crossed his sword and shot his beam towards Kokusho's monster. This time, there was nothing to keep it safe and it was pulverised.

-Twin-Face Devil, attack him directly.

The fiend slashed his two swords in the air, creating a hurricane that hit Kokusho with full force and sent him directly towards the wall of flames. The impact on the barrier forced a cry of pain as he finished his course on the floor, face down.

-KOKUSHO, yelled Saiga.

Kokusho didn't respond. He was too busy trying to remain conscious. His whole body was hurting him. He had never played a duel like this before. Terror began to crawl inside of him. Half of him wanted to give up because of the pain, but the other one wanted to continue.

-Look at you, said Norad, a sadist smile on his lips. You were almighty looking a second ago. And you are at my feet now. Your courage was meaningless. I end my turn.

K:1050 N: 5950

Even though he was hurt, Kokusho couldn't help but smile. His plan has worked perfectly. As soon as he heard these words, he knew he would win. With great efforts, he rose on his feet.

-Are you alright, asked Saiga, worried.

-I'm okay, replied Kokusho, smiling. In fact, I'm perfectly fine. I'm about to win this duel.

-What are babbling about, said Norad, annoyed that his prey wasn't scared anymore.

-You played right into my hand, explained Kokusho. I have to admit, your strategy was impressive. I wasn't expecting that. But I faced these kinds of decks before and I know their weak spots.

-What weak spots, yelled Norad, his face deformed with anger. I have a powerful monster, you can only attack with one monster and my life points are far greater than yours.

-But you have no defense, replied Kokusho, with his teacher like voice. All duellists who use life gaining deck usually drop their guard, since they think they are immune to any attacks. And this makes them vulnerable to heavy attacks. And why I made you believe I was losing. So you could lower your defence, allowing to deal the final blow on you.

-Impossible. There's no way you can launch an attack powerful enough to finish me.

-Let's find out. My draw.

Kokusho looked at his cards for a second to make sure his combo was perfect. Then, he made his move.

-First, I summon my Nightmare Knight, in attack mode. (Atk: 1800)

Kokusho's black knight rose from the ground, ready to fight.

-Next, I reveal my trap card. Ultimate Offering. This continuous trap card let me normal summon an additional monster, if I give up 500 life points. So I give up 500 life points to normal summon my Nightmare Mask, in attack mode. (atk: 0)

The black mask appeared next to the warrior, completely motionless.

K:550 N: 5950

-It's time to finish this, said Kokusho, confident. I release my two monsters and give 500 more life points to summon my favourite monster and the mightiest of my deck.

K: 50 N: 5950

The two creatures fused together to create the familiar multicoloured portal, as Kokusho brought the card he wanted to use towards his forehead and began to recite his own summoning song, eyes closed.

-I call upon your powers, guardian of the night. Emerge from the dark and unleashed your wrath.

Kokusho's eyes snapped open as he placed his fateful monster on his duel disk.

-Advance summon. Bring terror in this world, Nightmare Hydra.

Norad and Saiga's eyes grew the size of plates as a gigantic creature emerge from the gate. It looked like an overgrown black and gray lizard with spikes on his spine and on its tail. It also had seven reptilian heads with two frills on each one and all of them were looking at the devil with their blue eyes like it wanted to devour him. (AtK: 2800)

-What is that thing, asked Norad, clearly intimidated by its imposing size.

-The monster that will destroy you, replied Kokusho. It's a creature born from the worst nightmare of human beings and it grows stronger amount them. This means that when this card is summoned while Nightmare Realm is on the field, I can place a Nightmare Counter on it. Furthermore, there are now four night counters on my field. So, I remove three counters to add a second Nightmare Counter on my hydra.

Three of the four eyes that were on Nightmare Realm flew towards the hydra. At the same time, a dozen of the creatures that were flying around the twister entered the hydra's body. After that, the eyes of two of the heads began to glow.

-For someone who claimed to fight the darkness, you use a lot of terrifying monsters, said Norad, slightly shaken by what he saw.

-No power is good or evil, replied Kokusho. It's the people whot use it that determine its purpose. Light can be the worst thing on earth or the best, depending on how you use it. And this is how I use mine. Now that my monster has at least a nightmare counter, it gets a power boost from my field card.

The creature roared to the sky as its attack points grew. (2800-3300)

-Nightmare Hydra, destroy Twin-Face Devil, shouted Kokusho. Nightmare breath.

The seven heads opened their mouth and breathed a torrent of black flames that consumed the fiend in a matter of seconds. The two familiar masks took his place.

K: 50 N: 5150

-A good attempt, laughed Norad, but it's futile. My life points are too high and you cannot attack with another monster. Next turn, my devil will be reborn and I will finish you for good.

-There won't be a next turn, corrected Kokusho, his smile back on his face. My guardian will deliver you the final blow right now.

-How, asked the emissary. It already attacked.

-You really can't guess? It's a hydra. Ring any bell?

Norad was silent for a moment, before realization came to him.

-Don't tell me that it can attack again, shouted Norad in fear.

-That's right, confirmed Kokusho. Nightmare Hydra has a special ability that let it attack an additional monster for every nightmare counter on it. This means that it can attack both of your masks this turn. And since they are in attack mode, you will receive 6600 points of damage. Nightmare Hydra, shouted the Dreamwalker, finish this duel. Nightmare breath.

Once again a black inferno emerged from the reptilians mouths, engulfing the masks.

-THIS CANNOT BE, screamed Norad as the rest of the flames fell on him.

K: 50 N: 0

Kokusho desactivated his duel disk and even if he was injured, walked towards Norad, who had fell on his knees.

-I have a message for your masters, said Kokusho, while pointing his thumbs towards himself. Tell them that my name is Kokusho Izumani and that they better get ready, because I'm going to fight alongside the signers and I'm going to crush them.

Norad was silent for a while, until he began to chuckle. Then it turned into a full laugh. The white haired boy frowned at that. He didn't like it one bit. After a while, Norad calmed himself down. But the cruel smile never left his face.

-You think you are strong, don't you, said Norad. Well, we shall see how strong you are after Demark send your little disciple to the darkness. We shall see.

After saying that, the cloaked man turned into a black cloud that was blown away by the wind. Realizing that everything was safe, Saiga went to Kokusho.

-Good job, complimented Saiga. You could do a blast in the pro duelling league.

But Kokusho wasn't listening. He was thinking of the last words of Norad. He obviously meant that the dark signers would target Rua. Only the signers interested the dark signers. Rua and he weren't that important to them. So why would they attack Rua? And suddenly, he looked at the mark of the monkey that was high in the sky. Demark was the bearer of the monkey. The one that Ruka was supposed to face. And then, he understood. It must be Rua that Demark is fighting right now. Not Ruka. Filled with worries, Kokusho turned towards Saiga.

-Is there any more vehicles that can be used around, asked Kokusho, clearly upset.

-Well, there is still another police jeep behind the house, replied Saiga, too surprised to argue. But why do…

Kokusho didn't let him finish. He ran towards the back of the house, even if the pain was still there, and found the jeep. Since it was supposed to be used for an emergency, the keys were still inside, so Kokusho had no problems to activate the engine. And without paying any attention to Saiga, who was trying to have some explanations, Kokusho drove towards the symbol of the monkey with only one idea in his head.

Save Rua.

(Author's note)

Hello everyone. Finally, I bring you a new chapter. I'm sorry if I took some time. My most sincere apologies.

I really want to thanks everyone that reviewed my story. It's always appreciated. So don't think that the reviews you put goes to an empty ears. I enjoyed each of them.

I decided to drop the card explanations at the end of the chapters. It was taking me too much time, and I believed I gave enough explanations during the duel. But if you prefer to have them, I will put them on the next chapter.

That will be enough for now. Sayonara my friends. And please, keep reviewing. It makes me happy.

Volcaniclord


	7. missions and visions

I don't own yu-gi-oh and la di la. Really tired of writing this.

Missions and Visions

The streets were quiet. Darkness was everywhere, only broken by a ray of purple light that came from the purple flames, a sign that a battle was taking place somewhere. Nothing was disturbing the night, except the sound of the ravens and the rats. Then, out of the darkness came a security car that ran at full speed on the road. The ravens flew and the rats crawled back inside the buildings that looked abandoned.

Kokusho was completely oblivious of this scene. His eyes were fixed on the road ahead of him, his face was made of stone and his mind was focused on doing two things. The first one was to try to locate Rua in order to make sure that he was safe and if he wasn't, to help him no matter what. The second one was to slap himself mentally for being so reckless. He felt so stupid. For once, he would have gladly given up all the progress he had made to be more aware of his feelings if he could just turn back time to prevent himself from making the mistake he did. Because no matter how he thought about it, he was always coming to the same conclusion.

He was lost.

After a couple minutes, Kokusho finally calmed himself down and stopped the car. While sitting back on the seat, with a hand over his eyes, the Dreamwalker began to recollect the events of the last 15 minutes. Yep, he thought, he acted like a total idiot. He had rushed inside the ghost town just because he wanted to protect his young apprentice and with only one clue of the place he could be: the mark of the monkey that was burning inside the city. It didn't occur to him that the mark was huge or that Satellite streets were like a gigantic labyrinth. Result: he was lost in the middle of nowhere and he had no idea what to do. Silently, Kokusho began to curse his own lack of control. It was the second time that he had let his emotions take control of himself. The first time was when Martha was taken away and he almost attacked the dark signers out of rage. The second time was this one.

Kokusho breathed loudly and his forehead suddenly became very friendly with the wheel. It was so much easier when emotions were information like any aspects of someone, himself included. He would just see them as things to analyse before making a decision and that's it. Now it was them that were controlling him. How stupid he was! Was what the point of acknowledging these feelings if they only lead you towards your downfall. For a moment, Kokusho thought of Rua. The boy was full of energy and passion. And he wasn't hiding it either. He jumped into all sort of situations without thinking of the consequences. And apparently, it had brought him a lot of problems. So why did he kept doing it? It was so illogical. He just couldn't grasp this concept of following your feelings. It was just beyond him.

Kokusho's thoughts were interrupted rather violently by an earthquake. The shockwave was so strong that he momentarily lost his grip on reality. When the ground finally stopped shaking, silence fell again on Satellite. A silence broken by a powerful scream that echoed in the night, which brought Kokusho's attention towards the north. There, a large black and yellow monkey with a long curled tail was standing on his two feet, his hands raised like a boxer. The sight would be quite impressive for anyone, but for the white haired boy, it only brought him more worries. This was obviously the Earthbound God linked to Demark, the Dark Signer of the monkey. He was the one that Rua was facing. If that creature was anything like the giant spider that Rudger used, his green haired friend was in serious danger. With great haste, Kokusho turned on the car and rushed towards the creature. At least now he knew where to look.

The road took him to a part of Satellite with many skyscrapers. There were so high that the Earthbound God was impossible to be seen. Only the sound of the raging battle between the two fighters was guiding him. And it only made him more nervous by the second. Then, after a few minutes of research, a great light shined in the night, followed by an extremely loud scream. The mark of the monkey that was blazing in the sky vanished a moment later. Kokusho concluded that the duel was over. But his worries didn't fade away so easily. Who was the victor? Finally, after a long search, the Dreamwalker left the skyscraper zone and arrived to the site of the battle.

The view he had was quite something. Four people were there. Rua was sitting on the ground, obviously hurt. Ruka and Yusei were beside him, on their knees. Finally, Ushio was looking around, like a bodyguard. It was him who first realised that they had a visitor.

-What are you doing here, Kokusho, asked Ushio, clearly surprised to see the young man here. Kokusho paid no attention to him. Instead, he ran to Rua.

-Are you alright, asked Kokusho with haste, while looking for any possible injuries. Are you hurt? What happened? Did you win?

-You want the answers in order, asked Rua, slightly taken back by some many questions.

Kokusho realized that the others were thinking that he was insane, since he burst out from nowhere and started to ask all kinds of questions. One look at the others' faces confirmed that theory.

-Sorry. I had a bit of a hard time lately.

-If you really want to know, said Rua smiling, I am fine, just a little bit, Ruka and I duelled against Demark and finally, we won. Now it's my turn. How did you know I was the one duelling?

Kokusho looked around in order to avoid the question, but all he saw was the curious faces of his friends.

-I guess its confession time, said Kokusho, a resigned face on him.

After sitting down, Kokusho began to tell them his story, from his travel inside the Crossroad of Dreams to the appearance of the Earthbound God. He only decided to let out the part where he was cursing his inability to control his actions. At the end of his tale, each one had a different reaction. Ruka was intrigued, Yusei and Ushio were smiling since they were happy to know that Martha was still alive, and Rua... was grinning.

-Can Martha be saved, asked Yusei, full of hope.

-I don't know, replied Kokusho, his arms crossed and his thinking face back on. The most basic theory would be that when the Earthbound God is destroyed, the souls would be released. But it was destroyed before and they are still there. So I have no idea.

-Yes, said Ruka, conviction in her voice. It is possible.

Everyone's attention was now focused on the girl.

-How do you know, asked Kokusho.

-Kuribon told me that all the spirits that were used by the Earthbound God were back in the spirit world.

Kokusho looked at Yusei with a face that said one thing: what the heck?

-She can communicate with duel monster spirits, explained Yusei, like it was obvious.

-Right, said Kokusho, not very convinced. I guess we have seen things weirder than that. In any case, it means that the captive can be freed from their prison. But what worked for the monkey didn't work for the spider. There must be a difference between the two events.

-The two monsters were different, noticed Ushio.

-And it was Rally that destroyed the spider, added Yusei, suddenly becoming sad because of the memory of his lost friend. Not me.

-Yusei, I think this is the key, said Kokusho. Since your friend Rally wasn't a Dark Signer, he didn't have any link to the Earthbound God. It could be the reason why Martha and the others are still stuck. But Demark was bonded with his monster. When he lost, the link must have been broken, destroying the anchor that the demon had in this world, forcing it to release the souls. It's only a wild guess, but it seems logic.

It was at that time that Kokusho noticed that Rua was looking at him with a big devious smile. For a second, he thought that the cat from Alice in Wonderland had his eyes on him.

-What?

-Nothing, replied Rua. It just that you were worried for me.

-What are you talking about?

-You drove all the way from the house just because you were scared for me, explained Rua, clearly enjoying the situation.

-I..I..I wasn't worried, replied Kokusho, suddenly embarrassed. I just thought that you might have difficulties with the Dark Signers and I believed it would be logical to help you since he had an advantage on you. And besides, I didn't want the only person who I could transmit my knowledge to would vanish. You see. No feelings. Just logic.

-Of course, said Rua, completely not convinced and still smiling. Of course.

-What, said Kokusho, still uncomfortable. You don't believe me? You guys believe me right?

But from the similar smile they were now wearing, it was obvious that they didn't buy it.

-W..w...well...what about you, said Kokusho rather quickly, in a clear attempt to change the topic. What happened here?

Although tempted to continue torturing the poor Dreamwalker, Yusei and his friends decided to finally focus on the problem.. And for a few minutes, the group shared their common knowledge of the recent events. After that, the group began to discuss the next course of actions.

-I'm going to the tower of the giant, said Yusei with determination. I have to face Kiryu.

-I'm going with you, Yusei, happily claimed Rua.

Beside him, Ruka and Ushio nodded with their head to show that they would be coming as well.

-I think I should go on a different path, said Kokusho.

-Why, asked Rua, puzzled.

-We need to find more about these Earthbound Gods, explained Kokusho. Right now, the Dark Signers are the ones in control. They decide where and when their fights take place. Moreover, the demons inside of them were also a major force on their side. If I could figure out a way to weaken them or destroy them, it would greatly help us.

-You think you can destroy them, asked Yusei, a bit disbelieved.

-To be honest, I don't think so, bluntly replied Kokusho. But the smallest knowledge can turn the tides in our favour. It's a risk I have to take.

-But why don't you do your research with us, questioned Ushio.

-It would be far too dangerous, replied Kokusho, while shaking his head. If the Dark Signers become aware of my actions, you guys might get caught in the crossfire. And you guys are much more important than me. Besides, we don't need to be together. I saw a radio in the security car I was driving. We can communicate by using my radio and the one in Ushio's car in case one of us discovered something or in case of a problem.

-I hate to break your bubble, said Ushio, a bit hesitant, but the radios don't work.

-WHAT, yelled everyone except the poor policeman.

-It's true. When we arrived at Satellite, I tried to contact the city, but there was no answer. Something must be jamming the signal.

-Maybe it's only the communications outside the island that are blocked, said Kokusho, practical as always. We should try.

Unfortunately, Kokusho's theory proved to be wrong. No matter what they tried to do, no words would come out of the radios. The only thing coming from it was a beeping sound.

-Well, looks like they really are useless, said a resigned Ushio.

-Maybe not, replied Kokusho.

Everyone looked at Kokusho like he was crazy, while he was using the radios to make the beeping sound. After a few second, he looked at them, a smile on his face.

-I know how we can communicate with these things.

-How, asked Ushio. You know how to speak in Morse code?

-No, replied Kokusho, but we don't need them to talk. Only to signal our intentions.

The blank look on everyone's faces made Kokusho groaned. Obviously, he would have to elaborate.

-If Rua and I each have a radio, one of us can signal to the other that he wants to talk. Then, all we need to do is to enter our Dreamwalker state to communicate.

-That's so smart, yelled Rua, overexcited.

However, his enthusiasm wasn't shared by everyone. Yusei was especially sceptical.

-What if someone caught you while you are asleep, questioned the Signer. You could be in serious danger.

-I'm not a particular target of the Dark Signers, said Kokusho, while putting a confident smile on his face. So I should be safe from them. And all I need to do is to hide myself before I talk with Rua and everything should be alright.

Yusei still wasn't convinced. But there wasn't much he could say to convince the white haired boy to change his mind. The only thing he could do was to pray that he would be safe as he watched the two Dreamwalkers decide the codes they would be using. A few minutes later, the group was ready to go and the final goodbyes were exchanged.

-Good luck everyone, said Kokusho, with the most encouraging face he could make. It wasn't much, but Yusei and his friends could see he was trying.

-You too, replied Yusei.

-Don't worry, cheerfully said Rua. No Dark signer can stop us.

-I'm sure of that, replied Kokusho. See you soon.

After saying that, Kokusho started the car and drove towards the North, where the source of the darkness that shrouded Satellite came from. At a last minute impulse, Rua sat up and yelled at Kokusho.

-MAKE SURE THAT THE DARK SIGNERS DON'T DESTROY ANY OF YOUR PRETTY GIRLY HAIR, PRINCESS.

Rua was obviously enjoying himself. And Kokusho's respond didn't wait.

-COME HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE, YOU LITTLE BRAT.

Kokusho's loud reaction caused him to lose the control of his car for a few seconds, before he could correct it. And it brought a smile to Rua that not even Ruka's lecture could remove.

The scene was becoming very familiar to Kokusho. He was driving in a ghost city by himself in the middle of the night with only his thought to keep him company. The only difference were that he was driving safely now and that he was thinking of something different. Last time, he only had the safety of Rua in his head. Now he was worrying about the Earthbound Gods. When he came in contact with Uru, he quickly realized that these Deities were extremely powerful. If he wanted to attack those creatures, he would have to come up with a plan. But first, there was something he needed to do.

When he told his story to the others, the thing that scared them the most was the fact that the Dark Signers were able to react so quickly. They were afraid for the kids still at home. But to him it wasn't the worst. It was something that his opponents said before disappearing. Before turning into dust, Norad said to him that his disciple, Rua, was about to be taken by the shadows. How could he have known that the kid was his apprentice and that he was important to him? The only time he showed any signs of affection towards him was when they were together a few hours ago. But this meeting happened inside of the house. And in a room with no windows. That leaved only four possibilities. There was someone or something that could detect their powers, read their minds, spy on them wherever they were or had a spy somewhere on Neo-Domino city that was close to them. Kokusho stopped the car in what used to be a parking lot. He needed to remain focused on the problem at hand before he could go anywhere. Turning the car off, he closed his eyes and stayed completely motionless with no emotion on his face. One by one, he analysed the possibilities that came to him.

He quickly concluded that this thing couldn't read minds. Otherwise, he would have read the minds of Yusei during his duel with Rudger and transmitted all the info to the Dark Signer, sealing Yusei's defeat. And if it could see them wherever they were, he probably would have never reached Rua and Ruka since he would have been intercepted before that. Only two options were left: it was a detector, or there was a traitor in their ranks.

The second possibilitie forced him to use a lot of thinking before he could scratch that option. Since it wasn't possible that any of the Signers could be spies, there were only five people that were close enough to them to act as one: Ushio, Mikage, Godwin, Rua and himself. Two people could be removed immediately: him and Rua, since it would have been stupid of Demark to destroy his own spy. Ushio didn't know about his relation with Rua, so he could also be eliminated. Mikage gave them too much information on how to fight the Dark Signers to be a traitor. Plus, he had seen a lot of liars in his life, and he could see that she couldn't lie about something. Godwin's case was much more complicated. This man was very good at lying and he knew much more then he said, like the fact that he was once part of the group that worked on the first momentum. Also, his brother was the leader of the Dark Signer. But he helped them too much to be a traitor. So he had to put him on their side, even if he had a strong feeling that he was hiding something.

This could mean one thing. Something had detected them while they were in the Crossroad of Dreams. The first thing that came to him when he realized it was that it might not be a good idea to communicate with Rua while using their minds. But after looking at this idea on each of its angles, he concluded that it could be a blessing in disguise. If that thing could reach them, maybe he could do it the same way. Moreover, if it turned out that the responsible was one of the Earthbound Gods of the Dark Signers, then if they could use powers similar to him; his own power should affect them. Furthermore, if this thing could intercept their communications, it didn't seem to be able to locate the position of their real bodies. Otherwise it would have attack long before he could touch the Earthbound God. So he should be safe during his operations. With this knowledge, Kokusho finally opened his eyes.

The first thing that brought his attention was the now familiar purple light in the sky. Looking at the distance, Kokusho saw that a duel with a Dark Signer had begun. However, he didn't recognize the sign. It looked like some kind of whale. But Mikage didn't mention any whales during her explanations. Could it be that a new Dark Signer had emerged? Was he the one responsible for what happened with Norad? But his interrogation soon came to a halt. Suddenly, he felt very tired. It was like something was forcing him to fall asleep. He tried to fight it with all of his might, but in vain. Soon, darkness took him over and he felt asleep.

Kokusho's eyes flashed open. At first, the blazing sun blinded him for a few seconds. Then, he gradually got used to it. When it was finally done, the boy saw that he wasn't in Satellite anymore. He was floating in the sky above a huge desert. Since he was used to seeing strange things inside the dreams of the people he had visited, he knew that this wasn't real. It was some kind of vision. But he hasn't entered anyone's mind. In fact, he didn't use his power at all. Was this a trap of the Dark Signers?

A movement on his left side brought his attention. Five dragons were flying towards him. Kokusho recognized two of them: Stardust Dragon and Red Dragon Archfiend. Those must be the dragons owned by the Signers. Like he wasn't, the five winged reptile passed him and went towards something he hadn't noticed before: a gigantic black cloud. On second thought, it couldn't be just a cloud. Clouds usually don't have browns eyes and they don't move that fast. Whatever it was, the dragons obviously didn't like it, since as soon as they were close enough, they began to attack it with all their might. But it was like catching mist with mere hands. The attacks of the dragons passed right through it without hurting it. Soon, the five beasts realized that the battle was hopeless and ran away. Kokusho looked at this scene with the same unemotional state he has every time he entered the dreams of someone. No special feelings came to him, not even pity. For him, the only thing that matter was to gather as much information as soon as possible.

The scenery changed quickly. Now, he was in a native village of South America. Most likely Peru. A gathering seemed to take place in the center. Like it was responding to his thoughts, the image focused on the meeting. Two groups seemed to be in a very important discussion. He couldn't understand a single thing since they were talking in a foreign language, but he could understand the situation. It appeared that the first group, made of five people that were wearing ceremonies dresses, was asking for help to the second group, mostly made of people that seemed to be shamans. While they were talking, Kokusho saw that each of the five visitors had the same birthmarks that Yusei and the others Signers had. Kokusho concluded that these must have been the previous Signers. Finally, after a couple of minutes of discussions, the leader of the shamans bowed before the Signer wearing the dragon head birthmark, who bowed has well in return. Obviously, the two groups came to an agreement.

The vision changed one more time. He was back in the desert. But the battle was different now. The five dragons now had a large red dragon with them. It wasn't hard for Kokusho to guess that he had the mythical Crimson Dragon before him. Also, their opponents were now the five Earthbound Gods of the Dark Signers. The battle was brutal and for the moment, no party seemed to take the advantage. However, the black cloud that he had seen before appeared above them. Its brown eyes were looking directly towards the dragons and Kokusho knew that if it joined the fight, the dragons would lose the fight in a matter of minutes. But suddenly, the cloud froze in midair. Something invisible had caught it. And from the looks of it, it seemed to cause it great pain. Like a magnet, the force pulled it towards a range of mountains far away from the battlefield. The vision followed the same direction, like the battle wasn't important anymore. On the top of the highest mountain, the shamans that were taking with the Signers before were now forming a circle, eyes closed and arms lifted. They seemed to be the ones that trapped the cloud and from the looks of it, they were doing much more than that. It was like they were destroying it from the inside. The shapeless creature screamed as it was slowly shrinking into the shape of a ball. The only part that remained the same was its brown eyes, which were still reflecting only one thing: pure hatred. At last, after much effort from the shamans, the monster was finally defeated and exploded in a burst of dark light. Kokusho's vision was temporary clouded by the darkness and when light returned at last, he was back in his car, in the parking lot.

-What was that, asked Kokusho to himself, a bit shaken by the grand final of the vision. Where did that come from?

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't come up with a solution. He knew that those images must have been a vision of the previous battle with the Earthbound Gods, since it was very similar to the story that Godwin had told to the Signers. However, he had no idea who could have sent it, since he wasn't using his powers the whole time. It couldn't have been the Signers or the Dark Signers, and Rua would have warned him before. Furthermore, Godwin didn't mention anything about a living black cloud that fought against the dragons or about the group of shamans that vanquished it. Something was definitely fishy here.

Since he couldn't figure it out, Kokusho decided to focus on the problem at hand: the duel with the new Dark Signer. He looked towards the purple mark that appeared before and was rewarded by a very impressing sight. A large black and purple killer whale was now floating above the mark on the ground. The Dark signer must have summoned his Earthbound God. But from that distance, he couldn't see the duel, which bothers him quite greatly. He needed to know more about this Earthbound Gods. However, getting too close to it was out of the question, since the danger of being absorbed was still very present. He thought about it for a little while before snapping his fingers.

-Rua might know.

Reassured with this thought, the Dreamwalker grabbed the radio to send a signal to his little apprentice. However, a sudden and violent headache stopped his movement right on his track. The pain was unbearable. It was like a thousand sirens were screaming inside of his head. It was so painful that Kokusho though it would kill him. The only thing he could see were flashes of light. Then, images began to form themselves. It wasn't clear, but he could see two duelists having a riding duel. One had a black and yellow D-Wheel that seemed to be inspired by a bird. The rider had a helmet of the same color and a brown vest. His opponents had a much bigger D-Wheel that had large wheels designed to ride in the most difficult environment and a bull skull at the front. His owner had a very dark skin tone, proof that he was a stranger. He was wearing a black and purple bodysuit and a helmet with bull horns. Furthermore, glowing purple marks were all over his body and a mark in the shape of a whale was on his arm. He appeared to be in great pain, like he was fighting something inside of him. Unfortunately, the vision wasn't clear. It would shake become less visible every second, until it disappeared completely, along with the pain. While taking deep breath, Kokusho tried to gather his senses. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was looking directly at the ceiling of the parking lot. Somehow, he had fallen on the ground during his crisis. He remained still for a couple more minutes before getting on his feet. Still, his face clearly showed that he was still shaken from the episode. What's going on, asked himself Kokusho. Who were they? His questions were interrupted by the ringing sound of the Radio. Rua was calling for him. After shaking his head to come back to reality, he looks around to see if there was any potential danger. Seeing there was none, he took seat in the car and grabbed the radio to send the code to tell Rua that he was ready. He didn't know why his young apprentice was calling him for, but no matter the case, he was sure of one thing.

This war was much more complicated that they had though.

Author's notes

Hello everyone. Yes, I am still alive. And I am so sorry for the delay. More than 2 months. It's unforgivable. Unfortunately, it might take a while before I can post the next chapter. I started the University and it's hitting hard. But I will do my best to continue my story.

I want to thanks everyone that had reviewed this story. It really appreciated. See you next time

Volcaniclord


	8. author's note

Author's note

Hello my dear readers. Volcaniclord is on the line

Some of you usually see an author's note as a bad sign that the story will no longer exist. Mark my words, Dream and Nightmare is still on.

However, Most of the story will be rewritten. To be honest, I was unsatisfied by the way I made my main character. He didn't give the image I wanted him to have. Furthermore, the structure of the first chapters needed some work anyway and I wanted to reduce the narrator dialogue for a more active pattern. But the story will remain the same, don't worry

Here's how it's going to work. This story and this note will stay until I'm done with the first chapter. Then, it will be deleted at the same time that the new one will be posted. That way, you will still have the pleasure of having this story in front of your eyes.

Until I see you again.

Volcaniclord

p.s. I'm also using this message to ask you question. If you have things that you saw in the story that you want to see again, or not, or if you have any questions or suggestions, send them to me by review and I will look at each of them.


	9. final note

Hey everyone.

I know that some of you put this story on alert in the hope of seeing me post a new chapter. However, I decided to put this story on hiatus permanently. I'm also sad because of it, as I really liked that story, but I no longer have the drive to continue this story. So sorry.

However, this is not the end of me yet. I may not write a lot, but I do think. I am working on a new story, one that would also feature Rua as the main character. But this time, it won't follow the show, meaning that I will have a greater freedom of action. The idea is that Rua will travel the world to become stronger, meet new duellist and unlock a new power. He will also be confronted against an evil organization. Yusei and the others also play a part.

The story is still under development, and I am still missing some character and a complete story. Therefore, I'm giving you an opportunity. If you have any idea for an OC, just write me a quick description of him or her. It can include physical and psychological description, goals and if the OC is a duellist, deck type. You can add a deck that you created yourself if you want. The more original it is, the best it is. The OC can be a good guy or a bad guy. Take your time to create your OC. Also, tell me if you liked my character Kokusho. If you do, I might put it in my new story. With some modification, of course.

Once again, I apologize for giving up. However, I want to thanks everyone that reviewed this story. I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and I believe they will be useful for my new project.

Goodbye.

Volcaniclord


End file.
